Heartbreak Turns to Love
by Miss Magic 101
Summary: Hermione and Ron break up after Hermione finds him cheating on her. She is broken-hearted as she tries to get over the break up and continues to receive bad news. However, help comes from an unlikely source in Fred Weasley, who helps Hermione heal while they both learn more about each other and slowly fall in love. Not D/H compatible - Fred did not die! Rated M for later chapters
1. The Break Up

**Hi, this is my new story using the pairing of FredxHermione. I love the pairing of Hermione with one of the twins and I'm working on two stories at once, one with HermionexFred (which is this one obviously) and one with GeorgexHermione (called 'I Will Try to Fix You') so check both of them out, I really appreciate it and all the reviews I get always motivate me. So read and review! Hope you enjoy it. :)**

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**~ CHAPTER ONE ~**

**THE BREAK UP**

Hermione Granger was so happy; she couldn't remember ever being this happy before in all of her life; life just seemed to all be coming together for her right now and she could only see happiness and security in her future. There were many reasons for her happiness, firstly the War had ended and Harry and his friends had come out victorious after killing Voldemort and locking all the Death Eaters that were left in Azkaban. Secondly, Hermione had just started a job as a Trainee Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and she was loving it; they had allowed her to start the job despite the fact that she had no NEWTs because they said she had shown exemplary magical ability through all of her time at Hogwarts and during the War, and they believed she would be able to pick up the new magic she had to learn very quickly. But the final and most important reason as to why Hermione was happy was because after the Battle of Hogwarts Ron had asked her to be his girlfriend, and they had been dating for about three months now. It had been the best three months of Hermione's life, she was so happy to be with Ron, she felt so loved, wanted, and desired by him that she felt like nothing could ruin her happiness.

Hermione now lived at The Burrow with the Weasley family and Harry Potter as she had been unable to find her parents as of yet. However, being the optimistic person that she was, she was not going to lose hope and she spent as much of her free time as she could researching where they would be, but so far it had come to nothing. Hermione was happy to live at The Burrow for now however, it meant she got to see the people she was closest to on a daily basis, and it meant she got to spend as much time as possible with Ron, which was something she loved doing.

Today was a Saturday so Hermione had the day off work and she had decided to take advantage of this by travelling to the nearest Muggle town, which was only a ten minute walk from Ottery St. Catchpole where The Burrow could be found. Ron was not at work either, but he had shown little interest when Hermione had asked him to accompany her, he'd said he would rather play Quidditch with Harry. Hermione had thought this was strange at first because Ron had never said no to spending time with her before, but she brushed it off and thought it would be nice for the two boys to spend some time together before setting off herself.

Hermione had spent all morning in the Muggle town browsing all the second hand bookshops, and she now had a few bags full of books of all kinds which she was struggling to carry up the path towards The Burrow. Hermione could have Apparated to The Burrow to make it easier for herself, she knew that, but she enjoyed the walk and the fresh air so she decided to walk and felt even happier than before when she had reached the front door of The Burrow after a nice rewarding walk and relaxing morning.

Hermione entered The Burrow and put her bags of books in the hallway, she thought she might pick one out to read, but then she realised she could do that later after she had said hello to Ron, Harry and the rest of the Weasleys. Hermione could him a dull chatter in the kitchen which consisted of the voices of Fred, George, Ginny, Harry, Percy, Bill, Charlie and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but she could not hear Ron's voice. She checked in the lounge and Ron wasn't in there so she thought he must be upstairs. With that she entered the kitchen, said a quick hello to the rest of the Weasleys and bounded up the stairs excitedly. She stopped briefly outside the room Ron shared with Harry and checked her reflection in the mirror opposite, smiling with new found confidence in her own looks.

With that Hermione opened the door to Ron and Harry's room and was horrified by what she saw. Ron was in the room, not even acknowledging his girlfriend because his face seemed to be glued to that of Lavender Brown, while his hands had made their way into her hair and round her waist. Hermione gasped; she couldn't believe what she was seeing; she felt tears form in her eyes as she blinked again and again willing the image in front of her to not be true, but it would not go away no matter how hard she tried.

"Ron?" she said angrily "what is this?"

At the sound of his girlfriend's voice Ron stiffened and he and Lavender pulled away from each other with a sound reminiscent of two detaching plungers. He turned to face Hermione, a mask of guilt gracing his features and said in a hurried voice,

"Hermione, it's not what it looks like!"

"Really Ronald?" she said in a furious voice, which was rapidly rising to a shout "well what was it then? Because it looked to me like you were kissing her and probably going to do a lot more than that."

"I…I…" stuttered Ron lamely "oh fine we were kissing."

"That's it Ron," yelled Hermione, tears threatening to fall "we're over!"

There was a short pause in which Hermione became aware they had attracted quite a crowd by this point, consisting of Fred, George, Bill and Charlie, who were all give Ron murderous looks.

"I can't believe you would ever do this to me Ron," whispered Hermione in a broken voice "I thought we had something really special."

"We didn't," said Ron bluntly, which made Hermione gasp in a hurt way "I don't love you Hermione, I never did."  
"Why did you go out with me then?" asked Hermione.

"Just to say I had," said Ron, nastily "for work, and just to say I'd got together with the most prim and proper witch of her age, not that we ever did anything anyway, I mean is it any surprise I cheated on you with Lavender really?"

"Ron..." Hermione started, before looking down as words failed her and she felt the tears finally start to fall.

"What Hermione?" asked Ron, taking a step towards her menacingly "you must have known that was the only reason I was with you."

"But I love you," said Hermione in a small, broken voice.

"Well I don't love you," said Ron nastily.

"You've made that perfectly clear," said Hermione sadly "I hope you're happy with Lavender."

"Oh I will," said Ron vindictively "she's far prettier than you."

Hermione gasped at Ron's last comment as she looked down at the floor again, feeling so small and insignificant. She heard a quiet growl from behind her which surprised her, although she was not sure which one of the other Weasley boys it had come from, however she was still glad to have their support, even if that would never get Ron back. Hermione felt the tears start again and she quickly wiped them away with her hand, willing herself not to cry in front of Ron and give him the satisfaction. Then Hermione looked back up at Ron again, and he was closer than she remembered, which made her feel quite threatened as she backed away ever so slightly. Hermione looked into Ron's eyes and saw none of the emotions she recognised there, instead she saw anger, and if she wasn't mistaken something closely resembling hatred or contempt at least. Hermione continued to look into Ron's eyes trying to find any sign of the man she had fallen in love with, but there was no sign whatsoever and this hurt her even more.

"You're not pretty Hermione," said Ron, as if it was the most matter of fact thing in the world "no one is ever going to love you, let alone touch you. You are not desirable in any way; you are ugly and only good for one thing."

Hermione could not hold the tears back anymore, so she let them fall down her cheeks at a rapid rate. Hermione knew she was nothing special to look at when compared with people like Lavender but she had thought her looks had improved over the years; her hair had been tamed so it hung in caramel coloured curls down her back and she had developed a curvy figure that any girl would be jealous of. Hermione had always felt beautiful with Ron though, he had always made her feel special and had given her confidence; and to hear him say that she wasn't pretty in any way broke a small part of her and shattered her confidence in herself all at the same time.

Hermione heard Lavender's girlish cackle from inside the room before she gave Hermione an evil grin and simpered,

"Come on Ron, leave her to it, she's damaged goods anyway now she's got that scar on her arm."

"You told her?" asked Hermione, horrified that Ron had betrayed her trust and told Lavender something that only he and Harry knew "you told her about Malfoy Manor and what Bellatrix Lestrange did to me?"

"He did," confirmed Lavender in her shrill voice "it's ok though because those scars only confirm to everyone what you are, damaged goods, a Mudblood."

"I can't believe you told her," said Hermione, tears and betrayal evident in her voice, which was rapidly rising in volume "how could you?"

"I thought she should know how much better she is than you," said Ron.

"No one knows about that apart from you and Harry," shouted Hermione shrilly "how could you betray my trust like this?"

"Easily actually," said Ron in a matter of fact tone "I just did and it didn't bother me, after all, it's going to come out eventually that Bellatrix Lestrange scarred you for life with the word that best describes you. You deserved that Hermione, you deserve to know what you are, and every time you forget and start to think you're worth something all you need to do is look at that word, remember that pain and you'll know you're nothing but an ugly little Mudblood that no one will every love."

"I hate you Ron!" yelled Hermione furiously "how could you do this to me? How could you lie, cheat on me with _her_ and then tell everyone about my deepest secret? I hate you, I'll never forgive you!"

Hermione wiped her eyes again and turned away from Ron ready to walk away for good. She had just taken the first few steps when Ron said something so vicious and vindictive that it broke any part of her heart she still had left and shattered any kind of resolve she still held onto.

"Oh by the way Hermione, you're never going to find your parents you know that don't you? So you're all alone in the world with no one to love you. No one wants you here, no one loves you, I know I certainly don't, so why don't you just get out and leave us all alone, we'd be better off without you. You don't belong anywhere or with anyone."

Hermione heard another growl directed at Ron as she turned around to face him again, and she was almost positive it had come from one of the Weasley Twins, although she wasn't sure which one, but she was still glad to have their support.

"I will find my parents Ron," said Hermione in a remarkably strong voice despite the fact she could feel herself shaking with unshed tears "just you wait and see. I'll find them and then I'll show you I belong somewhere that I'm worth something and you won't know what to do because you'll have lost me, the best thing to ever happen to you. We are over Ron, I promise you I will never forgive you."

With that Hermione turned around once again, went to walk away but then turned back around and slapped Ron across the face with lightning speed and a force and strength that shocked all of the Weasley boys and Lavender, who rapidly Disapparated with a small _pop! _leaving Ron to face his family's wrath alone.

With Ron suitably punished for now, as he rubbed his cheek in shock where Hermione had slapped him, and Fred, George, Bill and Charlie switching between looking shocked at Hermione and shooting murderous glances to Ron; Hermione walked a few unsteady steps, blinded by tears. She ran past Fred and George who parted, leaving a small gasp for her to get down the stairs, but Hermione lost her footing at the top of the stairs, only dimly registering the strong arms, that must have belonged to one or both of the Twins set her upright again. With that she grabbed hold of the banister and raced down the many flights of stairs as tears poured down her cheeks, hearing shouts from upstairs as she went. Hermione did not stop for anyone; she knew she wanted to be in the back garden of The Burrow and knew she could get there by going out of the front door and round the house, which would avoid any awkward questions from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. So Hermione followed the grass round the house until she came to the back garden where she made a beeline for her favourite cherry blossom tree and sank down underneath it, finally letting the tears and heartbreak engulf her.

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**So what did you think? Let me know, I really appreciate people reading this and it really motivates me to carry on. I'll try and update soon! :)**


	2. Comfort and Secrets

**Hi, I'm back with the second chapter of my first FredxHermione story. I'm really enjoying writing it, and I really appreciate all the nice reviews I got for the first chapter. I hope you enjoy this one, and the next one should be up soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter (forgot to do that on the first chapter)**

**Enjoy!**

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**~ CHAPTER TWO ~**

**COMFORT AND SECRETS**

Hermione cried and cried for what felt like hours. She couldn't believe Ron had been so cruel to her. Not only had he been cheating on her but he had betrayed her trust and told everyone her deepest secret and then he had touched on her darkest fears; that she would never find her parents again. Hermione had always thought Ron supported her, that he loved her, but now she realised she was wrong, and that thought more than anything else; that everything she had ever held onto or believed in was wrong; is what tore her apart most of all as she sat crying under the cherry blossom tree in the garden of a place which no longer felt like home.

Fred was furious; he couldn't remember ever being this angry in his life at anyone, let alone his own brother. However, what Ron had done and what he had said to Hermione were unforgivable in Fred's eyes. Not only had Ron cheated on Hermione, he had revealed her deepest secret and betrayed her trust in the worst way possible. Fred heard the shouting start and had gotten worried so he, George, Bill and Charlie had rushed upstairs and Fred remembered simply wanting to punch Ron and hold Hermione in his arms forever, telling her everything would be all right.

Fred's mind flashed back to when Hermione had finally walked away from Ron. He remembered that horrific moment when she had nearly fallen down the stairs, for some reason Fred's heart had leapt in fear at that point as he had grabbed hold of her to stop her from falling. Fred didn't understand why he had been so upset that Hermione was upset and also so concerned about her and so scared that she would fall down the stairs. They had always been friendly to each other but she had always been Ron's best friend and girlfriend, never getting anywhere near that close to Fred. It mystified him as to why he felt like this, but Fred had put it to the back on the mind as he had watched the brunette witch run down the stairs sobbing.

After she had left Fred remembered he had launched himself at Ron, slamming him against the wall and shouting at him for being stupid, evil, and throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to him for some cheap fling with Lavender. Fred remembered Ron's nonchalant attitude as he actually defended what he had done and said, something which had infuriated Fred to a point where he had drawn back his closed fist and punched Ron square in the nose, feeling a satisfying _crunch! _as he did so. At that point Fred remembered his twin pulling him off Ron saying that he wasn't worth it and that Hermione was more important and to go and see if Fred could find her while George, Bill and Charlie dealt with Ron. Fred had not needed telling twice and he remembered practically vaulting the stair rails on the first few flights to get to Hermione quicker, although he couldn't quite place his finger on why he felt like _he_ should be the one to comfort her, and why he wanted to make her feel better so much.

Fred was now outside, in the back garden of The Burrow. He knew Hermione came here to read and relax and although he wasn't sure, he thought she might come here when she was upset as well. Fred wasn't sure where in the massive garden she would be so he started walking around hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He had almost given up hope when he heard a small sobbing sound carry in the breeze to his ears and he knew immediately that it was Hermione. He glanced around the garden once again and that was when he saw her, sat under the cherry blossom tree with her knees drawn up to her chest, sobbing her heart out, a sight which hurt Fred more than he could ever imagine.

Fred slowly jogged over to Hermione, reaching her in less time than he had expected. Hermione hadn't heard him approach so while he was a few steps away, Fred said, in a caring tone,

"Hermione?"

Hermione turned around when she heard Fred's voice and the sight Fred saw in front of him broke his heart. Hermione face was all red from crying, tears were still streaming down her face, and her chocolate coloured orbs were glassy with unshed tears. Strangely enough though Fred still thought Hermione looked beautiful, even in this vulnerable state and he just wanted to hold her and never let go until all the hurt had disappeared.

"Can I join you?" asked Fred hesitantly, bracing himself for the rejection.

To Fred's great surprise Hermione gave a small nod as she looked at him, so he sat down next her, not quite sure what to say, but knowing he was where he was meant to be whatever happened.

"I think I broke his nose after you left," said Fred softly as he watched Hermione, wondering what she would say.

Again Fred was surprised by the reaction he received from Hermione; he had expected her to be angry but instead a small smile played on her lips for a second. Fred would have missed this smile if he wasn't watching her so closely, but it filled him with a sense of pride and joy that he had been able to make this girl smile even as tears poured down her cheeks. Fred's sentence must have been enough to break the ice between them as Fred was again shocked when Hermione spoke in a shaky voice,

"Why did he do it?" she asked "was I not enough for him? Was I not good enough?"

"Hermione don't ever think you're not good enough for him," said Fred gently, upset at the vulnerability in Hermione's voice; the vulnerability his brother had caused "you're more than good enough for him, and he'll realise soon that he's thrown away the best thing that ever happened to him in you, for a cheap fling in Lavender."

"But why did he do it?" asked Hermione again.

"I wish I could answer that," said Fred kindly "I really do. If I was lucky enough to get a girl like you I wouldn't let you go for anything or anyone."

"No one will ever love me Fred, I'm damaged goods," said Hermione after a short pause as she broke down in tears again.

"Hermione don't you ever think that," said Fred firmly "you are amazing, smart, funny and beautiful and any guy would be lucky to have you. I'm just sorry my brother was too much of an idiot to realise how fantastic you are."

"I'm nothing Fred, no one is ever going to be able to look past what Bellatrix Lestrange did to me," cried Hermione, tears streaming down her face "Ron was right, everyone else was right, I'm just a Mudblood, and now I'll also be known as the girl who was cheated on by one of the two most desirable men in the Wizarding World; the girl who couldn't hold onto the man she was meant to be with from day one."

"Hermione," said Fred desperately "please don't think all these things about yourself. You can't help what that vile woman did to you, and I think the fact that you have scars just shows how brave you were in the war, and it's everyone else's problem if they can't look past simple scars."

"But it hurts so much!" sobbed Hermione "Ron said it didn't matter that they couldn't get rid of the scars, but I guess he was lying."

Fred felt a wave of anger towards his younger brother that was so strong, he wanted to go and break more than his nose for making Hermione hurt like this. It seemed to Fred that Ron had built Hermione's confidence back up after the war for his own convenience and then shattered both her confidence and her heart when he didn't need her anymore. Fred felt anger towards his brother, but he also felt sorry for Hermione, she had done nothing to deserve any of this; she had fought in the war, she was a hero and she had simply fallen in love with Ron, and thought that he was reciprocating her feelings because he felt the same, not for his own gains. Hermione didn't deserve to be treated like she had been and Fred knew it, and made a promise to himself that he would look after Hermione and help her heal for as long as it took for her to feel special again.

"Hermione?" asked Fred quietly, after a short pause.

"Yeah?" replied Hermione in a shaky voice, still laden with emotion.

"You can say no if you want," said Fred tentatively, unsure of the words to use "I know it's a very touchy subject and I would completely understand if you said no and I don't want you to think I'm some kind of weird, creepy person, but can I see what that vile woman did to you? I won't tell anyone, I promise, I just want to know what you went through so I can help you start believing in yourself again."

Hermione looked at Fred and Fred could see there were still so many unshed tears in her eyes. Her gaze seemed to pierce straight through to his soul as Fred prepared himself for the 'no' that he expected, and which would be justified in his mind as well. However, Hermione searched Fred's eyes for any sign of dishonesty, any sign that he was going to laugh at her, and when she found nothing but genuine compassion, concern and worry, Hermione was quite shocked, but also willing to let Fred see the scars which very few people had actually seen.

"OK," whispered Hermione so quietly that Fred almost didn't hear her.

Fred moved closer to Hermione as she rolled up the left sleeve of her top, preparing himself for the inevitable tears he knew Hermione would cry once she had shown him her secret. Fred gasped when he saw the scars, he didn't mean to, but it was just shocking to see the brutality of humanity etched onto Hermione's skin. There it was, as clear as day, the word _Mudblood_ carved into Hermione's skin in jagged writing; there forever. It broke Fred's heart to see this, Hermione didn't deserve this, and it was this which was causing her so much pain and uncertainty in her life while everyone else was celebrating the end of the war.

Before he even thought about what he was doing Fred ran his hand along Hermione's arm where the scar was, not tracing the letters, but almost trying to erase the scars. Fred was amazed Hermione didn't pull away from his touch as he gently rolled her sleeve down over the scars for her and moved his hand to hold hers, while his other arm seemed to find its way around her of its own accord.

"Hermione I'm so sorry," said Fred quietly "I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for what happened to you, I'm sorry for my brother being an idiot and I'm sorry for not being able to notice he was cheating on you and being able to protect you from him, I should have done more."

"You couldn't have done anything," said Hermione in a tearful voice "you weren't there when _she _did that to me, and Ron hid it from all of us."

"I know," said Fred sadly "but I don't like to see you upset, I wish I could stop you feeling like this."

"Can I have a hug then?" asked Hermione, her brown eyes glistening with tears.

Fred didn't even have to verbalise a response to that question because at he looked at Hermione he knew she was going to break down in tears again. Instead Fred moved closer to Hermione, wrapping both his arms around her and pulling her into a tight, protective hug. As Fred had thought, Hermione immediately broke down into his shoulder, gripping his shirt for dear life. Fred adjusted his hold on Hermione so that he was able to pick her up and place her in his lap, so he could hug her closer and tighter while she cried. Fred wasn't sure if Hermione noticed this but she didn't pull away from him so Fred took this as a good sign and proceeded to stroke Hermione's hair gently, while keeping her in a protective hug and whispering comforting things to her.

Hermione cried for what felt like an eternity, and Fred sat with her silently through it all, gently rocking her backwards and forwards and stroking her hair, never impatient with her for being this upset, just there as a constant figure of strength. Fred could smell the intoxicating aroma of vanilla and assumed it must have been Hermione's perfume or hairspray, before realising that this smell was something that he enjoyed and could get used to.

"Fred?" said the quiet voice of Hermione suddenly, jolting Fred out of his reverie.

"Yeah?" replied Fred, with gentleness in his voice.

"Thank you," said Hermione tentatively as she wiped away her tears "I really appreciate you being here, I didn't think I needed anyone to come and make sure I was all right, but apparently I did, thank you for taking the time to do that, and thank you for breaking Ron's nose."

Fred chuckled softly at Hermione's comment about Ron's nose, and before he could control himself Fred reached up and gently brushed the rest of Hermione's tears away with his slightly calloused hands.

"It's all right," he said softly "like I sad you don't deserve to be treated like that and if I'm honest Ron deserves a lot more to be broken than just his nose. I know what it feels like to be in love and to be cheated on anyway, I couldn't let you go through the emotions alone like I did."

"You were cheated on?" asked Hermione, shocked.

"Yeah," said Fred sadly as he looked off into the distance "during mine and George's seventh year; George doesn't know though, kept it secret from everyone, even him, I felt so ashamed that I hadn't been good enough I just couldn't face anyone's pity."

"Who was it?" said Hermione tentatively "if you want to tell me."

"Angelina Johnson," whispered Fred, heartbreak evident in his voice "I'd liked her since before the Yule Ball in our sixth year but I only asked her to be my girlfriend at the beginning of our seventh year. Anyway, she wanted to get physical pretty quickly but I had never been with anyone that seriously before so we agreed to wait until we were both ready. I found her in the Quidditch changing rooms with Roger Davies a few weeks later; let's just say they were getting pretty passionate. I confronted them and she said I wasn't enough for her, I didn't give her what she needed and she was tired of waiting for me. She called me a failure, stupid, a freak for wanting to wait. I remember I hid it from everyone, told them it was an amicable break up, and I cried myself to sleep for a while after that, haven't really been with anyone else either. I'm twenty years old and I've never had a serious girlfriend, I'm still a virgin, how weird is that, one half of the Weasley Twins isn't the playboy everyone thinks he is."

Fred looked down, as if in shame that he didn't live up to his famed reputation as well as that of his twin brother. Hermione noticed that Fred's eyes had glazed over, and immediately realised that like her, Fred had simply been unlucky in love and put his faith and trust in someone who ultimately hurt him in a way that very few people could understand.

"It's not your fault Fred," said Hermione, choosing her words carefully "you wanted to wait and she didn't accept it so went off with someone else; that's how I see it. You weren't wrong in any way, you were completely within your rights to say you wanted to wait and I completely understand needing to feel ready to take a relationship to the next level; it's scary in a way because you're giving your whole self to that person and you don't know how they will react."

"Exactly," said Fred pensively "I just wanted to know in my own mind that it was going to be a long term relationship before we did anything like that. I wanted to know that she saw our relationship in the same way I did; as one that would stand the test of time; obviously I was wrong though."

"I'm really sorry Fred," said Hermione, taking one of his larger hands in both of her smaller ones "just remember, I know how you feel and I'm always here if you want to talk about it; I know we've always just been friends because I was Ron's friend and girlfriend but I don't want to lose the friendship I have with any of you just because me and Ron are over."  
"You won't," said Fred sincerely "I promise."

"Oh and by the way Fred," said Hermione shyly "I think it's quite romantic you haven't slept with anyone yet because you want to wait."  
"Thanks Hermione," said Fred sighing "but it doesn't really fit in with the Weasley Twin image now does it?"  
"No," conceded Hermione "not with how many girls George has been with. But I still think it's romantic you're waiting for the right girl. I mean I know everyone thought me and Ron would be together forever but I still had to make sure I felt like we would; that's why I wanted to wait, and he hated it, as was evident today, but I'm so glad we didn't do anything now."  
These comments earned a small smile from Fred, although he still looked a bit shy and withdrawn, so Hermione; from her position still in his lap, which both of them had forgotten about; enveloped him in a tight hug.

"Hermione?" asked Fred sheepishly "can we keep all this quiet? It's just that everyone thinks me and Angelina did everything; George just jumped to conclusions and I never told him the truth because it was easier, I just don't think I could face the teasing."

"Of course Fred," said Hermione kindly "I won't tell a soul, can we keep everything quiet about my scars as well?"

"I promise," said Fred honestly.

"Thank you," said Hermione gratefully.

"Do you want to go back inside?" asked Fred, after a short pause.

"All right then," said Hermione nervously "I'm a bit nervous about seeing _him_ but I suppose if I don't do it now I'll never be able to."

"I'll stay with you if you want," said Fred as he helped Hermione up "you don't have to talk to him if you don't want, you can spend some time with me and George to take your mind off everything."

"That would be good," said Hermione smiling "thank you."

"No problem," said Fred grinning mischievously "and like I said he deserves a lot more than a broken nose for this, so if he bothers you, it can be arranged."

To Fred's surprise and delight Hermione giggled at his comment, and the sound sent shivers down his spine as he grinned along with her.

"Well you might have to join the crew to break Ronald's bones, I never got my shot did I?" she said, a devilish grin appearing on her face.

"Well that can be arranged too," said Fred chuckling "now come on, let's get inside, it's nearly dinner time."

"Before we do Fred, thank you for everything," said Hermione quietly, wrapping her arms around his well toned torso "I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," said Fred, hugging Hermione back, loving the scent of her vanilla shampoo once again.

After a short hug the two friends released each other, and feeling like the weight of the world and their secrets had been lifted off both of their shoulders, they walked back inside The Burrow, feeling the most content they had for a long time.

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**So what did you think? Let me know, I really enjoy reading the reviews, and they really motivate me to write as well. Anyway, next chapter should be up soon so see you then.**


	3. An Evening With Fred

**Hey this is the next chapter of my FredxHermione story. I really appreciate all the nice comments I'm getting for this story, it really motivates me to write so thank you. **

**Enjoy!**

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**~ CHAPTER THREE ~**

**AN EVENING WITH FRED**

Fred and Hermione entered The Burrow hand in hand to find it a bustle of activity as Mrs. Weasley was currently dishing up that night's dinner. The intoxicating smell immediately filled Hermione's nostrils and made her feel better almost instantaneously. Fred bounded over to the table in excitement, pulling Hermione with him. Hermione smiled at this small gesture and immediately felt better for it, especially as Fred pulled her into the seat on his right hand side and still did not let go of her hand.

"I look after you," he whispered, smiling warmly, as the rest of the Weasley children started entering the room "he'll have me to answer if he says anything."

"It's all right Fred," said Hermione, smiling slightly nervously "I should be able to handle it."

"Well I'll be here if it gets out of hand," said Fred quietly, earning a grateful smile from Hermione.

Everyone was now sat around the Weasley table as Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and the plates which were overloaded with food all zoomed towards their owners, before coming to a stop on the table in front of them. As was normal procedure all of the Weasleys started shovelling their food into their mouths at astounding speeds. Hermione, on the other hand, looked at the beautifully cooked roast dinner Mrs. Weasley had prepared and suddenly found that she wasn't hungry; her appetite had completely gone as the sadness over what had happened with Ron earlier hit her again at full force, especially with the absence of the arms of the Weasley twin who was sat next to her, to protect her.

After a couple of minutes of frantic eating Fred turned to Hermione with a bright smile on his face, only to be shocked to find her plate still full, her food completely untouched, and the girl with the biggest chocolate coloured eyes he had ever seen, looking down at her scarred forearm sadly under the table.

"Hermione?" said Fred quietly, so as not to draw attention to either of them "what's wrong?"

"I'm not hungry," mumbled Hermione, so quietly that Fred barely heard her.

"Come on Hermione," said Fred smiling gently "just try and eat some of it for me, all right?"

"I make myself sick Fred," said Hermione in a broken voice "look at these scars, they're horrific, I'm horrific."

"You're not," said Fred firmly "you're amazing and beautiful no matter what anyone else like Ron says. Now please try and eat something, you just have to get through this then we can go back to my flat if you want, just so you can get away from everything."

"I'd like that," said Hermione, giving Fred a small smile.

"Excellent," said Fred, gently rolling the sleeve of Hermione's top down so she wouldn't focus on her scars "now eat, you don't have to eat it all, just try and eat something."

Slowly, with Fred watching her, Hermione picked up her knife and fork and began to eat, earning an appreciative smile from Fred, as both of them tucked into their food, looking forward to the prospect of spending some time together.

The rest of dinner passed quickly and without anything occurring between Ron and Hermione, much to Hermione's relief; she had only just stopped crying over him, the last thing she needed was reminding of the pain which she would be if he spoke to her. Hermione was still a bit tense throughout dinner and Fred seemed to notice this as he kept shooting her encouraging smiles, and even occasionally squeezing her hand under the table when they were both sure no one was watching. These gestures may have been small, but Hermione, being in the vulnerable state she was at the moment, appreciated Fred's support, because it at least kept the tears from falling in front of the other Weasleys.

After dinner was finished Fred and Hermione helped Mrs. Weasley clear the table, while the other siblings went off to their respective rooms, or in George's case, to Alicia Spinnet's house, who had been his girlfriend for six months.

"Are you all right Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a concerned tone while Fred and Hermione were drying the dishes "George told me about what Ron did, I'm so sorry dear, I thought I'd raised my son better than that."

"It's not your fault Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione quietly "it hurts but I know I did the right thing considering I found him cheating on me, so it'll become easier with time."

"Well anything you need dear, let me know," said Mrs. Weasley kindly "and it's Molly."

"She'll be fine Mum, won't you Hermione?" Fred chimed in suddenly, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders "I'll look after her."

"That's nice to hear," said Molly smiling "at least one good thing came out of what Ron did; I hope you'll be a good influence on him and George Hermione."

"I'll try my best Molly," said Hermione giggling "I'm just so glad Fred took the time to see if I was all right this afternoon, or I would still be out there now."

"I'm going to take Hermione back to the flat for a bit tonight Mum," said Fred "she was still a bit upset at dinner and I think she just needs to get away from everything for a bit, will you be able to survive without us for a bit?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley "of course we'll be fine without you; go and relax Hermione, goodness knows you deserve it after the day you've had and all the work you do at St. Mungos!"

"Thanks Molly," said Hermione appreciatively "I really appreciate all you've done for me over the years."

"You're part of the family dear," said Mrs. Weasley, pulling her into a hug "no matter what happens. Now go on you two, you've helped enough, go and have fun."

Fred did not need telling twice; he put the towel he was using to dry the dishes on the side, bounded over to his Mum to give her a quick hug before closing the distance between him and Hermione and pulling her by the hand into The Burrow's living room. Hermione couldn't help but smile and Fred's enthusiasm, it really was infectious, but suddenly all thoughts of smiles left her mind as she saw Ron sat on the sofa glaring at her.

Fred had noticed Ron too, and he didn't like the look on Ron's face at all. Fred let go of Hermione's hand, letting his own drop to his side; he didn't want to let go of Hermione's hand at all, but something in Ron's expression told him it would be the safest thing to do. Ron stood up just after Fred and Hermione had entered the room and Fred was suddenly extremely aware of the tension surrounding the three of them. Fred felt Hermione tense as Ron took a step towards her, so Fred surreptitiously shuffled sideways, closer to Hermione, something which she noticed, but Ron didn't, as he had his eyes fixed on Hermione, who while nervous, stood unflinching.

"Well it didn't take you long to get with one of my brothers did it?" Ron sneered viciously.

"I'm not with Fred," said Hermione in a strong voice "he's just been making sure I was all right today after earlier."

"Oh please!" exclaimed Ron "I saw you two whispering together at dinner."

"Did you also notice that Hermione was upset at dinner?" asked Fred in a deathly calm voice "all we talked about was making sure she felt better."

"You betrayed me Hermione," said Ron angrily "I can't believe you got together with one of my brothers hours after I left you."

"I betrayed you?!" laughed Hermione in an incredulous tone "no Ronald, you betrayed me, you cheated on me. I have done nothing wrong, as I already said, Fred has just been making sure I'm all right this afternoon; you see I was a bit upset after I found you eating Lavender's face. There is nothing going on between us and what business would it be of yours if there was anyway? In case you've forgotten I'm not your girlfriend anymore, I'm just some filthy little Mudblood apparently, not your concern, so go and have fun with Lavender and leave me and Fred alone."

When she had finished her emotional outburst, Hermione was breathing heavily, a fire in her eyes, and Fred was filled with admiration for the girl by his side; she had taken heartbreak and turned it into a strength to make Ron feel as insignificant as possible, and it had obviously had some effect as Ron was stood, open mouthed and wide eyed, obviously not knowing what to say.

"Well all that's beside the point," argued Ron, once he had recovered "he is my brother Hermione, he is off limits, but I suppose Fred's took you on because he pities you, well it's the only way anyone is ever going to show you any affection."  
Fred stepped forward threateningly and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when suddenly Hermione's hand struck Ron's face in the most impressive slap Fred had ever seen or heard. Fred chuckled appreciatively, while at the same time reminding himself never to get on Hermione's bad side.

"That was some small semblance of payment for the heartbreak and pain you put me through today Ronald!" shouted Hermione "and believe me I could do a lot worse. Also, it is my decision who I am friends with, not yours, if I want to spend time with Fred then I will and you can't stop me, now get over it!"

Ron stood looking at Hermione, his mouth agape in shock and he rubbed the cheek where she had just slapped him, which was now a scarlet colour. Fred smiled proudly at Hermione, catching her eye as she smiled back and took a deep breath to calm herself down. Hermione calmed down rapidly and was shocked when Fred stepped forward so his face was inches from Ron's. Fred was as tall as Ron and far more toned, after years of Quidditch, so he cast quite a menacing figure next to Ron, who looked intimidated.

"For your information little brother, I am not spending time with her because I pity her, I'm spending time with her because she is my friend and she needs cheering up after what you did today," growled Fred calmly "and I'm spending time with her because she intelligent, funny, caring, a great listener and just all round beautiful inside and out, and one day you're going to realise all that, and you're going to know you threw away the best girl in the world and the best thing that could ever happen to you, and you'll regret it; but I hope that when that day comes, Hermione can be strong enough to look you in the eye and say she's happy without you."

Both Ron and Hermione were left shocked by everything Fred had just said; Hermione had never heard him be as serious as this before today, and it made her happy to see a different side to him. Ron on the other hand stood there open mouthed watching the scene unfold before his eyes.

"Come on Hermione," said Fred quietly "I said I would take you away from everything tonight so let's go."

"Can I just get the books I bought today?" asked Hermione.

Fred nodded and followed Hermione out of the room as she rushed into the hallway and grabbed the two heavy bags of books. Fred took them off her immediately as if they weighed nothing before smiling at her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"It's nothing," said Fred still smiling "can't let a girl carry all these bags can I?"

"No I meant for in there with Ron," said Hermione "thank you for being there and for what you said."  
"Again it was nothing," said Fred nonchalantly "besides you did most of it, and may I say, that slap was deadly, dear, remind me never to get on your bad side."

Hermione giggled as Fred grinned at her while she pulled her jacket on; she hadn't thought she would laugh today after what had happened earlier but Fred had unlocked that giggle from deep in her heart, as well as making her feel valued when she felt at her lowest; Hermione realised he was truly a great person and was grateful he had come to check on her earlier.

"Shall we go then?" asked Fred, bringing Hermione out of her reverie "I'll Apparate us to Diagon Alley and we can see what we want to do from there."

Hermione nodded as she took one of her bags of books off Fred and grasped his free hand with her own, as she felt the familiar sickening feeling which accompanied Apparition. Within a second Hermione's eyes were adjusting to the sights of Diagon Alley as she shook of the wave of dizziness that had engulfed her as her feet had touched the ground. Fred was stood next to her, still grasping her hand, calmly watching her, a hint of concern gracing his features.

"Are you all right?" he asked Hermione.

"I'm fine," said Hermione, taking a deep breath "just haven't got used to Apparition yet, I've only done it a few times, and it still makes me feel a little dizzy."

"Ah, all right then," said Fred, still looking concerned "come on let's get you to the flat then, unless you want to get anything first?"

"Maybe some sweets and ice cream?" said Hermione, slightly unsure as to whether Fred would agree.

"Sure!" said Fred happily "although we might be better in Muggle London for that, so we better hurry before their shops close, stay here a second, I'll just take your books to the flat."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but before she could Fred was gone, and then before she could catch her breath, he was back in front of her grinning and offering her his arm, which despite her initial hesitation, Hermione accepted happily. Together they walked towards The Leaky Cauldron and towards the entrance to Muggle London, both comfortable in each other's company.

Soon Hermione and Fred reached the entrance to Muggle London and Fred tapped the wall a few times with his wand, in the sequence that Hermione had memorised, before the wall parted before them, opening to the patio outside the back of the Muggle side of the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione and Fred walked through the pub together, bidding a quick hello to the barman before stepping out onto the streets of Muggle London.

"How often do you come here Fred?" asked Hermione, finding it a bit odd that he was acting so calm in a world where he was unfamiliar.

"More often than people might think," said Fred "I like to get away from everything occasionally, well everything in the Wizarding World so I come for a wander around. Why do you ask?"

"No reason in particular," said Hermione "it's just you seem awfully calm, when I brought Ron here a couple of times he was running round and asking me questions about everything; it got a bit annoying and embarrassing after a while."

"I am excited by all this Hermione, I've been here a fair few times and there are still things that fascinate me," said Fred, smiling as his eyes lit up "however, unlike Ron, some of us have a sense of place and will keep our questions until we get back to the flat."

Hermione chuckled at this but appreciated Fred's relaxed attitude all the same, it made her feel like she could relax and be herself, and when she noticed they were near to the sweet shop she had visited many times before, her eyes lit up.

"Come on," said Fred, pulling her inside the shop, smiling broadly "pick anything you want and we'll get it."

Hermione smiled as she and Fred wandered around the shop picking up a wide variety of sweets, from jelly sweets to chocolates, from boiled sweets to chewing gum, they had a vast variety by the time they reached the till and the shop owner was watching them with amusement. Fred paid for the sweets, despite Hermione's protests and together they walked out of the shop, smiling and wondering where to go next.

"Shall we get some ice cream?" said Hermione suddenly, as they were walking down the street.

"That is an excellent plan, my dear," said Fred, smiling broadly "lead the way."

Hermione giggled as Fred gave her an exaggerated bow before taking her by the hand and sprinting off towards the supermarket. They must have looked odd, but Hermione didn't mind and found herself laughing like she hadn't laughed in a long time. Suddenly Fred came to a stop, not giving Hermione enough time to stop before bumping into him, which resulted in them both lying in a heap on the floor; Hermione on top of Fred, a perilously close proximity between their faces.

"Now Hermione, I know I'm sexy," laughed Fred, smirking and breaking the slightly awkward moment between them "but really can't we wait until we get back to the flat at least?"

Hermione blushed fiercely but Fred simply chuckled and she climbed off him and he got back to his feet.

"Sorry about that," said Hermione, who felt slightly flustered.

"Don't worry about it," said Fred grinning "it's been a long time since I've had a beautiful girl on top of me."

As Hermione blushed even more, Fred winked suggestively at her, before taking her hand and leading her into the supermarket. Together Fred and Hermione quickly located everything they needed and were soon on their way back to Fred and George's flat with copious amounts of sweets, fizzy drinks and ice cream tucked safely away in various bags. Fred led Hermione towards an Apparition Point, before gripping her hand tightly and transporting them to the flat before Hermione could even blink.

Once the dizziness had subsided, Hermione took in her surroundings and was very impressed by what she saw. She and Fred were inside the living room, a room which felt so homely to Hermione, it was almost unreal. There was a big brown sofa in the centre of the room and two matching chairs to its sides, which Hermione noted, looked very comfortable. There was a large rug resting on the floor in front of a fire, which Fred lit with a flick of his wand, after remarking about the chill the nights still had even at this time of year. However the part of the room that made Hermione smile most of all was the bookcase, along with the Muggle TV, DVD player and stacks of DVDs which lined the walls.

"I didn't even know you knew what a TV was Fred," said Hermione, smiling.

"Oh yeah," said Fred grinning "I took Muggle Studies in Hogwarts and they taught us about them and they sounded pretty cool so George and I got one and although we can't get Muggle television channels, we still watch DVDs."

"Can we watch some tonight?" asked Hermione, slightly sheepishly.

"Of course!" said Fred happily "be nice to have some company for once actually, George has been spending more and more time at Alicia's and although I don't mind at all it can get a bit lonely sometimes."

"I really should have thought about it and brought my pyjamas over," said Hermione, more to herself than to Fred "then we could totally relax."

"You could borrow one of my Quidditch shirts if you'd like?" offered Fred, slightly amused by what Hermione had just said "or we could Apparate back to The Burrow."

"Hmm," mused Hermione, shocked at her own forwardness "I think I'll take you up on the offer of a shirt if you don't mind."

"Right you are m'lady!" said Fred brightly, disappearing and reappearing in an instant holding a green Puddlemere United shirt out to Hermione, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks Fred," said Hermione "are you sure you don't mind me wandering around your flat in one of your shirts?"

"Course not," said Fred smiling "we've known each other for seven years Hermione, we've seen each other in pyjamas before, what difference is one of my shirts going to make?"

Hermione shrugged as Fred directed her to George's room so she could get changed, while he went to his room to do the same before getting all the food ready. Fred, if he was honest, needed tonight, he had been feeling lonely for a while, especially now George had a girlfriend and wasn't around so much. Fred didn't mind George going out with Alicia at all, in fact it was nice to see his twin settle down with one girl rather than flit to and from girls on a weekly basis, however, this still didn't stop Fred feeling a little bit lonely, and like he was missing out by not having someone to love.

Fred suspected Hermione needed tonight as well, to help her be happy and forget the pain she had felt today at the hands of Ron. Fred felt intense anger towards his brother for what he had put Hermione through; she didn't deserve any of it and it pained Fred to see her go through the pain and to cry endless tears, so he vowed, tonight, to make her smile at least once.

Suddenly Fred heard a door open and he glanced around from the kitchen to be granted the cutest sight he had ever seen. Hermione walked out of George's room and it was obvious to Fred instantly that she was feeling self conscious about how she looked; but Fred thought she had nothing at all to worry about. Fred's Puddlemere United shirt fell gracefully down, resting just above Hermione's knees, while the rest of Hermione's legs were still covered in the tights she had worn for the day. Fred noticed Hermione's caramel curls fell down her back and seemed to go on forever; Hermione might have been self conscious, but to Fred, at that moment, despite the fact she was the ex-girlfriend of his younger brother, Hermione looked amazing.

Fred was jolted out of his reverie and daydreams suddenly when he noticed Hermione had tears in her eyes and he heard a small sniffling sound coming from her.

"Hermione?" he asked, walking towards her, holding his arms open for her "what's happened?"

"Your shirt doesn't cover my scar," sobbed Hermione dejectedly "I can't even look at it, no wonder Ron cheated on me."

"Hermione," said Fred kindly "Ron is an idiot that has lost the best thing to ever happen to him in you. As for your scar, I want to see it, that might sound odd but it's a part of you and you're a great person, what that woman did was horrific I know, and every time you see that scar you relive it but it's part of you, and you're amazing, so don't hide it away, please, even if it's just around me, even if it's just for now, just try and not focus on it, or Ron for that matter, focus on having fun."

Hermione wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and Fred stepped towards her, engulfing her in a tight hug, whispering reassurances to her that everything would get easier with time.

"Thank you Fred," said Hermione, her voice muffled against his chest "I'll try and forget for a while."  
"Any time you need help with forgetting and having fun I'm here," said Fred, smiling warmly as he released Hermione "now come on, I believe we have an inordinate amount of junk food to eat don't you? And if I hear the R word one more time tonight I might have to tickle you Miss Granger."

Hermione gasped as Fred smirked playfully, knowing she hated being tickled. Fred expected a slightly angry reaction from Hermione regarding his last statement but instead he was shocked when he got a broad smile and a shake of the hand from her.

"Deal," she said "as long as we sit under a duvet and I pick the first film."

"You're on!" said Fred, grinning as he summoned the duvet using his wand, laying it across the sofa, while Hermione perused his film collection.

When Fred got to the sofa, having manoeuvred and levitated all of the food and drinks onto the coffee table, he was overjoyed to see that Hermione had picked _Skyfall_; the latest James Bond film to watch.

"Never had you down as a Bond fan," said Fred in a matter of fact tone.

"I could say the same for you what with you being brought up in the Wizarding World," said Hermione, reaching for the ice cream as she pressed 'play'.

Fred chuckled to himself, smiling happily at having company to watch a film with. Soon Hermione and Fred had watched all of _Skyfall_ and had worked their way through a sizeable chunk of the junk food, as they stayed snuggled under the duvet, Fred's arm casually draped around Hermione's shoulders. Next it was Fred's turn to choose a film and he picked _Brave_, a choice with thrilled Hermione to no end. Both Hermione and Fred watched _Brave _in a comfortable silence and by the end of the film, all the junk food was gone and Hermione was resting her head on Fred's shoulder, while he arms had both found their way around her waist.

"Thank you for tonight Fred," said Hermione sleepily.

"It's all right," said Fred smiling "I like the company and I know you need the cheering up as well, it's been a brilliant night. Would you like to watch another film?"

"One more," said Hermione yawning "then I should get back to The Burrow and sleep."

Fred nodded and summoned the first film that popped into his head, _How to Train your Dragon_. With a flick of his wand it was playing and he pulled the duvet tighter around himself and Hermione as he felt her relax. Fred kept an eye on Hermione and about halfway through the film he noticed she had fallen into a peaceful sleep against his chest. Fred went to move Hermione, intending to put her to sleep in George's room as George would not be back until morning, but when Fred went to move her, Hermione whimpered and seemed to cling tighter to Fred, meaning he didn't even have the heart to move the sleeping girl. With that Fred sighed deeply, moved his legs so he was lying on the sofa, re-positioned Hermione so she was lying against him in his arms, and let the tiredness overtake him as he fell into a deep slumber, which was how George found them both the next morning.

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**So what did you think? Like I said, I really appreciate your reviews so let me know what you think. I'll update soon so see you then!**


	4. The Letter

**Hi I'm back, I'm really enjoying writing this story and I hope you're enjoying reading it as well. Really appreciate all the nice reviews I'm getting about this, it really motivates me to write. Anyway, here's the next chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

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**~ CHAPTER FOUR ~**

**THE LETTER**

The weeks following the break up with Ron passed slowly for Hermione, she did not cry when she was around other people, she refused to give Ron that satisfaction, but that did not mean that she wasn't hurting. She often felt alone at night and also during the day as well, especially when she saw Ron and Lavender together, who seemed to be everywhere she was, flaunting their relationship in her face for their own amusement. Hermione had tried to avoid everyone as much as possible, but obviously in a family as big as the Weasleys that was nearly impossible. However, they had all be very tactful with her, and other than the few questions she had received in the initial few days following the break up, the family all seemed to not ask her about it, realising she would come to them when she was ready.

Fred had been the only thing that had kept Hermione sane in the long weeks following hers and Ron's break up. He met Hermione for lunch as often as they both could, and he met her outside St. Mungo's whenever he could or simply whenever she had said she needed someone to talk to. Fred had done what none of the other Weasleys had been able to do and had broken through Hermione's tough exterior to see just how much she was hurt by the fact Ron had cheated on her and then revealed what Bellatrix Lestrange had done to her. Hermione had spent many nights in the twins' flat curled up on the sofa, sobbing her heart out while Fred held her in his lap and tried his best to comfort her with soothing words and kind gestures.

Often Hermione had fallen asleep at the twins' flat, exhausted thanks to all the crying she had done. On these occasions, which were becoming more and more frequent, Fred slept on the sofa with her, or on more than one occasion, he had carried her through to his room and tucked her into his bed before climbing in next to her. To Fred's great relief Hermione never seemed to mind either one of these things, he suspected that she liked the companionship and company more than she let on, much like himself.

Hermione was glad to have Fred in her life, he provided her with an escape when everything got too much and he made her laugh when she needed it most On more than one occasion Fred had rescued her from an awkward situation with Ron and Lavender, and had often guided her out of a room when they would not let her leave. Fred was strong, reliable and caring and Hermione was eternally grateful for the fact he had made her life so much easier since her break up with Ron. Fred knew it was difficult for Hermione to stay at the Burrow with Ron and Lavender being there almost permanently so he had ten it upon himself to offer her a place to stay whenever she needed it, and more often than not, Hermione spent the night at the twins' flat, and all her free time with Fred, and sometimes George when he wasn't with Alicia.

As time went on in the weeks following her split with Ron, Hermione rapidly started to realise that she had misjudged the twins for a long time. Both Fred and George were not the insensitive and unintelligent pranksters she had once thought they were, they were in fact highly intelligent and also very sensitive and intuitive to other peoples' feelings, both of them had proved that to her as they had both looked after her in the past few weeks, both making her laugh in their own unique ways. Hermione had also been given a chance to have a proper look around Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and she had to admit that she was very impressed by the success the twins had managed to achieve. Hermione was also greatly impressed by the advanced level of magic in the products the twins had made and also their seemingly natural sense of how to run a business and provide the customer with what they wanted. Hermione had realised, during her short time spent around Fred and George that they provided a vital service in the Wizarding World, they gave people a way to laugh again, which was important because even though the War had ended, many people were still grieving for their loved ones who had been lost.

It was a Sunday evening at The Burrow and everyone was sitting around the Weasleys dining table waiting to start feasting on the mountains of food Molly Weasley had prepared for her immediate and also extended family. It had been about six weeks since Ron and Hermione had split up and they still had not said a civil word to each other, so Hermione was seated between the twins at one end of the table and Ron was seated on the other end of the table, kissing Lavender Brown, much to everyone's annoyance.

"All right everyone, dig in," said Mrs. Weasley happily, as she watched the inevitable battle for food ensue.

Hermione filled her plate with food as usual, but all of a sudden she felt her appetite diminish rapidly as she and the rest of the Weasley family were subjected to another vision of Ron and Lavender kissing passionately. Hermione looked down at her plate, tears filling her eyes again as she sighed. Fred saw how Hermione was feeling and put his arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against him, as she desperately sought comfort and support in a time where her emotions were still running high.

"Can't you show some restraint Ron," asked Fred, choosing his words carefully "I mean we're all trying to eat here, and it's not good for our appetites to watch you two all over each other all the time, and Hermione is here, show some sensitivity to her feelings, it's only been a few weeks since you broke up."

"She should just accept that I'm with Lavender now," said Ron in a nasty tone, which shocked the entire Weasley family "I can kiss my girlfriend whenever I want, she's part of our family now. Nobody wants Hermione here though, she'll never be family anymore, she was only family because she was with me."

"Hermione will always be family," growled Fred dangerously "and I don't appreciate you talking about her like she's nothing; she's a better person than you'll ever be."

"She's nothing but a filthy little Mudblood," sneered Ron.

"Ronald Weasley!" shouted Mrs. Weasley sternly "I will not have you using language like that in this house! Apologise now!"

Hermione glanced up at the table and noticed every single member of the Weasley family was glaring at Ron, as he smirked, he did not have an ally in the room at all, and his expression changed from one of gloating to one of fear when he realised this.

"Sorry Hermione," he murmured the hint of malice still evident in his voice.

Hermione couldn't even bring herself to look at Ron, let alone answer him and Fred seemed to realise this as he squeezed her shoulder and said in a falsely cheerful voice,

"This looks fantastic Mum, come on, let's eat before it gets cold."

Soon the dining room was full of the sounds of cutlery clinking against plates and happy conversation as people began to forget the earlier incident. However, Hermione's appetite had disappeared completely and she couldn't look up at the table, let alone any of the Weasley family.

"Come on Hermione," said the gentle voice of Fred in her ear "just try and eat something. I know you're upset and I'll make sure Ron pays for what he said, but just try and eat something for me."

With more gentle persuasion from Fred, and occasionally George, both of whom made Hermione smile by coming up with increasingly vicious pranks to get Ron back for everything he had done to her, Hermione started to eat her dinner, slowly at first, until she realised just how hungry she was. Within the next half an hour, Hermione's plate was empty of food and she did not hesitate to take the huge slice of chocolate cake that Fred offered to her.

"Good girl," he said grinning "I know it's your favourite. That's a Weasley-sized portion of food if I ever saw one!"

"Thanks for making me feel better Fred," said Hermione as she put a scoop of ice cream with her cake "and you George."

"No problem," the twins said simultaneously, in equally jovial tones.

Hermione smiled at the twins' simultaneous answers; this was something she had always found unique bout them and she always endeavoured to make them answer things at the same time as often as she could. Feeling much better than she had before, Hermione allowed herself to take a delicious mouthful of chocolate cake. Fred chuckled at her reaction as the biggest smile he had ever seen graced Hermione's features. Hermione allowed herself another few bites and she felt herself relax more as time went on as she listened to the conversations around her and Fred and George talking about their new ideas for products for their shop.

"Wow Hermione, now I know why you're so fat!" exclaimed Ron, smirking suddenly as the whole family stopped talking and glared at him.

Hearing Ron's snide comments made Hermione gasp as she dropped her spoon onto the plate and looked down at her knees again, in shame. Hermione felt tears come to her eyes again as she felt a reassuring hand cover hers and squeeze it. Hermione looked to her left only to see the blue eyes of Fred Weasley looking back at her, his eyes full of apologies for his brother's words.

"You don't need to listen to him Hermione," he said in a caring tone, loud enough for the whole table to hear "you are not fat, not at all, you have a perfect figure, a figure any girl would be jealous of, and you can eat whatever you want. Why don't you finish your chocolate cake, you were enjoying that."

Hermione shook her head, still looking down at the floor, tears in her eyes. Hermione realised she could hold back the tears no longer and a tear dropped onto her jeans, something which did not go unnoticed by Fred. Fred pulled Hermione closer to him and put his other arm around her, hugging her, protecting her from the world around her. Fred glared at Ron, an expression which was mirrored on the faces of the rest of the Weasley family.

"Nice one Ron," said Fred in a deathly calm voice "not only do you shatter her confidence by cheating on her, you then insult her based on something which isn't even true. You really are a horrible person and I hope one day she tells you that."

"She is fat," said Ron maliciously "I can't believe I ever went out with _that_; look at her compared to Lavender, Lavender's perfection, Hermione is nothing compared to her."

With that Ron got up out of his seat and stormed round to where Hermione was sat, still sobbing into Fred's shoulder, and grabbed Hermione roughly by the arm, yanking her to her feet, despite cries of pain from Hermione herself.

"Hey!" shouted Fred angrily, getting up to stand next to Hermione, while the other Weasleys watched on horrified "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Showing you all how perfect Lavender is compared to _her,_" sneered Ron, pointing at Hermione, who was still sobbing, almost hysterically by this point.

Ron then turned to Lavender and beckoned for her to come towards him, which she did, flicking her hair back in an unnecessary way and grinning nastily at Hermione. Fred meanwhile had wrapped his arm back around Hermione's shoulder and was whispering comforting words in her ear, while slowly starting to guide her back to her seat.

Just before Hermione was about to sit down again, Ron took her by the hand and pulled her back into the centre of the room so she was stood next to Lavender, who was smirking nastily. Hermione cried out in fear and disgust when Ron pulled her towards him and in an instant Fred was by her side, pointing his wand at Ron.

"You're not going anywhere Hermione," sneered Ron "I told you I'm going to let you know why you're so worthless and that is what I intend to do."

"You don't get to touch her anymore," snarled Fred, who was still seething from Ron pushing and shoving Hermione around "and if you ever even look at her in the wrong way again, let alone if you touch her, you will have me to answer to."

Ron was just about to respond to Fred when suddenly a tawny coloured owl flew through the open kitchen window of The Burrow. Everyone looked at each other, confused, momentarily forgetting the scene unfolding in front of them as Fred lowered his wand and Ron averted his gaze towards the owl that was making its way towards Hermione. The Wizarding World didn't receive post on a Sunday usually, unless it was an urgent letter sent by the Ministry of Magic, so Hermione knew, as the owl dropped the letter at her feet, before flying off out of the window again, that this was very important.

Hermione picked up the envelope with shaking hands, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room fall on her, as she looked nervously at the official wax seal of the Ministry and also the neat cursive handwriting which had been used to transcribe the address.

"Do you want to see down Hermione?" asked Fred, noticing how nervous she was.

Hermione nodded silently, and wiped her eyes clear of tears while Fred guided her to a sofa in the lounge area, a little bit away from the rest of the gazes which Hermione was now the subject of.

"Do you want me to stay with you or not?" asked Fred gently "it's your decision."

"No, stay, please," said Hermione nervously "but let me read the letter first."

Fred nodded his agreement and sat down beside Hermione on a sofa, wrapping his arm around her shoulders but looking away. Hermione broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out the letter, written in the same font as the envelope. After a couple of seconds Hermione took a deep breath and began to read the letter that would change her life forever.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I am writing to you on behalf of the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic in London concerning the case of your parents. You informed us after the Second Wizarding War that you had performed a complex memory charm on your Muggle parents which made them forget your existence and move to Australia to keep them safe from You-Know-Who until the War was over. You also informed us that now the War is over you would like to find your parents again. _

_We have spent the weeks following the War looking for your parents, using the details of their appearances and possible locations where they could be in Australia. However, we are writing to you with some bad news regarding your parents. Using your information we were able to locate your parents, but unfortunately we found that The Dark Mark was above their house, the house was destroyed and your parents were dead, and they looked like they had been that way for a very long time. We are very sorry to have to deliver this devastating news to you, we know you tried to keep your parents safe, and we applaud your efforts and the compassion you showed towards those without magical ability. _

_You may ask why no one reported your parents as dead or missing during the Second Wizarding War. Well we believe that the Death Eaters who killed your parents placed powerful charms on your parents' house, meaning that people who saw the house could still see your parents inside, moving around, and neighbours saw them leave the house on various occasions, obviously meaning that an illusion had been created to make people see your parents as unharmed. Also, as you know, the Dark Mark is only visible to witches and wizards, and as this was a purely Muggle neighbourhood, no one was aware that anything was amiss._

_So obviously you would like to know what happens now. We have managed to return your parents' bodies to the UK, but due to the high number of casualties which occurred during the War, we are unable to provide a funeral for your parents, or the vast majority of the fatalities due to the cost of this and also due to time constraints. Once again we realise this must be incredibly upsetting for you to hear and we apologise that we are unable to provide a funeral. However, we have buried your parents in a graveyard for casualties of the War, which is located not far from The Burrow where you are currently residing, and we hope that the fact you can at least visit your parents' graves is some comfort to you as you can say goodbye to them in your own time. _

_Once again, we are very sorry to deliver this devastating news to you and we hope that with the help of your friends you can grieve for the loss of your parents. Should you need any information about your parents' deaths in the mean time please contact me, I will help you in any way I can. _

_Kind regards, _

_Esmeralda Hopworth_

_Head of the Department of Mysteries_

Hermione read and reread the letter over and over again, tears building in her eyes as she prayed for what she was reading to not be true, for her parents to still be alive. Hermione had worked tirelessly in the weeks following the fall of Voldemort to locate her parents. She had written countless letters to various departments of both the Australian and the British Ministries of Magic and had gotten nowhere. Hermione had spent her free time researching potential counter charms to reverse the memory charms if she ever did find her parents and now she felt empty as she realised that everything she had done had been for nothing, as her parents had died long ago, probably almost as soon as they had got to Australia. Hermione hands were shaking as the tears started to fall down her cheeks and she felt a sob building up in her chest.

"Hermione?" asked Fred in a concerned voice as he squeezed her shoulders "what's happened? What did the letter say?"

Hermione was jolted out of her thoughts by Fred's kind voice and she looked at him, then to the rest of the Weasley family, then back to Fred, tears streaming down her cheeks. Fred could instantly tell that something was very wrong with Hermione, obviously it did not take a genius to work out that she was upset, but Fred could see deeper than that, he saw that something had crushed Hermione's spirit and broken her heart, and he knew it would take a lot of time for her to heal.

"Hermione?" asked Fred again "talk to me."

Hermione turned to Fred and found herself unable to talk to him. Instead her eyes filled with tears again and she bit back a sob as she started to tremble violently. Fred tried to pull Hermione to him and into a hug, but Hermione fought his attempts with everything she was worth, she felt worthless and empty and she knew she just wanted to be alone, so she stood up, swaying slightly on trembling legs before running out of the room, dropping the letter as she went, and leaving Fred and the rest of the Weasleys feeling equally confused and concerned for her welfare.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Ron, smirking "did that letter tell her how worthless she is or something?"

Fred, along with the rest of the Weasley family glared at Ron and Lavender, who were now laughing. Fred picked up the letter which Hermione had dropped at his feet, running his hand through his hair as he wondered what he would find in the letter and also how he would make Hermione feel better. Fred was nervous, he had seen Hermione upset before, but when she looked at him before she left, she looked inconsolable, she looked broken and Fred did not know how he, or anyone else for that matter, would make her feel better.

With thoughts of Hermione's emotional state playing on his mind, Fred unfolded the letter and took a deep breath before he started reading it. Fred's eyes darted across the parchment, reading what Hermione had read only minutes before. As Fred worked his way through the letter and became aware of the reason as to why Hermione was so upset, his brow furrowed and his heart filled with sadness for the girl who had already been through so much, and was now going through something that no one wanted to. Fred read and reread the letter praying that it wasn't true as he rapidly realised it was, and that it was going to take a long time to help Hermione heal.

"George?" he asked his twin.

"Yeah?" replied George, instantly picking up on the sad tone in his twin's voice.

"Are you staying at Alicia's tonight?" asked Fred.

"I was planning to," said George "why?"

"Hermione will be at our flat tonight," said Fred, running his hands through his hair and sighing "it's going to be a long night."

"All right," said George, knowing better than to pry.

With that, Fred stood up and began to walk towards the back door, in the direction where Hermione had gone only minutes before. Fred grabbed his jacket and put it on, unsure of what the weather was like outside and knowing that Hermione would be cold as well. Fred pocketed the letter, not wanting his younger brother to find it and to tease Hermione about something else.

"Fred?" asked Mrs. Weasley, just before Fred walked outside "what's going on?"

"It's not really my place to say Mum," said Fred quietly "Hermione will tell you all when she's ready. I'm going to take her straight to our flat so thanks for the dinner Mum, we'll see you soon, now if you'll excuse me I really need to go and find her."

"Look after her Fred," said Mrs. Weasley in a caring voice "whatever it is she needs you right now."

"I will Mum," said Fred "see you soon."

With that, Fred left his shocked and confused family behind, all of whom were too shocked to say anything, with the exception of Ron and Lavender who were still giggling to themselves much to Fred's annoyance. Fred exited the room and entered the garden, and once he was out of the family home all he could think of was finding Hermione, but he couldn't see her anywhere, so Fred began searching, hoping to find her soon, for both of their sakes.

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**So what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it, I'll update soon so see you then! Thanks for reading. **


	5. A Long Night

**Hi I'm back, this is the next chapter of my FredxHermione story. I would like to thank everyone that has taken the time to read and review this story, I really appreciate all the nice reviews I'm getting. Anyway, enjoy!**

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**~ CHAPTER FIVE ~**

**A LONG NIGHT**

Fred was getting increasingly worried; he had walked around the grounds of The Burrow twice and could not find Hermione anywhere. She wasn't by her favourite tree and she wasn't anywhere in the garden that he could see. It was rapidly getting darker as dusk started to fall and Fred knew that he had to find Hermione soon to stop his own panic from overtaking him and also so he could ensure that Hermione was as safe as possible and so he could comfort her as best he could. Fred could not even begin to imagine how Hermione was feeling; she had lost her boyfriend and her parents within weeks of each other. Fred knew she wasn't completely over her break-up with Ron, and what Ron had said tonight, combined with the loss of her parents would only serve to diminish any confidence that Fred had been able to build up over the last few weeks. All Fred wanted to do was hold Hermione in his arms, protect her from the world around her and tell her everything would be all right. Fred had always had a soft spot for Hermione, and her fiery attitude; she was the only person who could match up to him in arguments and the person that always kept him on his toes, and he had always simply wanted to make her laugh. However, over the last few weeks Fred had noticed more and more about Hermione and throughout the countless hours comforting her, he had simply wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and had been overjoyed when she had responded to his comforting words and actions by seemingly never leaving his side, other than to go to work.

Fred felt panic rising in his chest as he couldn't find Hermione, he had never felt panic like this before, even during the Battle for Hogwarts he had not been this nervous, and he was terrified he had lost Hermione and she was somewhere she didn't know, lost and broken hearted. All of a sudden a wave of inspiration hit Fred and he couldn't believe he had never thought of it before. There was a secluded and private part of the garden, which was towards the bottom of the garden and was shrouded in trees, and Fred knew that Hermione went there to read occasionally, so he realised there was a possibility she could be there now. With that in mind, Fred took off at a run, letting his long legs carry him towards the secret garden, hoping with all his heart that he would find the girl that had come to mean so much to him over such a short period of time.

Within a relatively short period of time, Fred had reached the entrance to the secret garden. He walked in slowly, glancing around at his surroundings and taking them in. There were many trees surrounding this area, secluding it from the rest of the garden and giving it the illusion of privacy, which the rest of The Burrow did not have. The whole area was carpeted in a green grass and in the centre of the small enclosure was a lake, filled with bright blue water, medium in size, but big enough for someone to go swimming in should they desire.

It was on the far end of this lake that Fred spotted a small figure; shrouded in darkness but still visible if you were looking for her. Fred saw that Hermione Granger seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible, and in the deadly silence of the night Fred could hear her quiet sobs, something which tore at his heartstrings and hurt him more than he could ever imagine, especially as Fred knew that nothing he could do would take away the pain permanently, but would only numb it on a temporary basis. Fred sighed to himself as he jogged around the lake towards Hermione wondering what he could possibly say to take her pain away, coming to no conclusions other than all he could do would be to hug her tightly and let her cry.

As Fred got closer to Hermione, he slowed the pace of his steps, so as not to startle her, and he became aware of just how much she was crying at that point. In the dim light Fred could see the redness of her eyes and the tear tracks staining her cheeks and he could also see that she was trembling in a fearful and heartbroken way. All Fred knew at that moment in time was that Hermione was grieving, heartbroken and lost, and all he wanted to do was to help her through this and make those feelings better.

"Hermione?" he enquired gently, sitting down next to her.

Hermione turned her head to look at Fred who was sat next to her, the most sympathetic look she had ever seen, gracing his features. Hermione knew she had left the letter behind when she had run out of The Burrow and she as positive Fred had picked it up so that Ron didn't see it and she knew he would have read it as well, so Hermione believed that Fred was well aware of what had caused her to break down at such an alarming speed.

Fred's heart cracked in sadness when he saw Hermione in front of him, the girl that had always been so strong and feisty, broken, first by his younger brother and secondly by the death of the people she had fought so hard to protect. Fred could see that Hermione's spirit had been broken, and she looked so fragile he was almost unsure of what to say to her or whether to touch her, through fear she might disappear or disintegrate. Fred felt tears form in his own eyes as he watched Hermione cry in front of him; every single one of her weeps tore at his heart strings, almost causing him physical pain.

"Hermione," Fred repeated again, in a caring tone of voice "I wish I could take this pain away so you would never have to feel it. I wish I could make this all better for you, I wish I could reverse time, but I can't, all I can do is hold you in my arms, comfort you, protect you, be there every day to help you through the pain if you'll let me."

To Fred's great surprise Hermione looked at him again through tear filled eyes and held her arms open, like a child would to someone they trusted, asking for a hug, asking to be comforted, but never actually verbalising it. Fred knew what Hermione was asking for and immediately pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly to his body as her tears soaked through his shirt. Fred noticed that Hermione was shivering, and when he gently touched her hands they felt like ice, despite the warm breeze that was in the air.

"Hermione you're freezing," said Fred worriedly "come on, I'm going to Apparate us back to mine and George's flat, is that all right?"

Fred did not expect Hermione to answer, he wasn't even sure she had heard him, so again he was quite surprised when through the sobbing, he felt Hermione give a small nod against his chest. Taking that as all the confirmation he needed, Fred tightened his grip of the distraught Hermione and Apparated them both into Fred and George's living room, specifically straight onto their sofa. Hermione seemed completely unaffected by the sudden change of scenery as she continued to cling to Fred and sob into his chest in a heartbreaking fashion. Fred slowly manoeuvred himself so that he was comfortable on the sofa and so that Hermione was safe and protected in his lap and his embrace, before he started stroking her hair and rubbing gentle circles on her back, as he had done so many times in the past few weeks.

"Hermione I'm not going to pressure you to talk at all," said Fred quietly "but when you want to I'm here to listen to you. I know that's probably not a lot of comfort given the circumstances but it's all I can offer you. I can give you my ears to listen, my arms to hold, my words to comfort and my heart to care for you, just take your time Hermione, I'm not going anywhere all right? I can't even imagine how you're feeling at the moment so I'm not sure what to say to you, but I can listen and offer some words of comfort if you want them."

Fred was sure Hermione had heard him, but he didn't blame her for not responding, she had far more important things to focus on, and Fred knew that his job was just to be there for her, to listen and care for her during this whole process, not matter how long it lasted. Fred resumed his previous actions of alternately stroking Hermione's hair and rubbing her back soothingly as she cried, not knowing what else to say at all.

"Fred?" said Hermione's muffled and heartbroken voice all of a sudden.

"Yeah?" said Fred, slightly nervously, almost jumping in shock when he heard Hermione's voice.

"They're gone!" cried Hermione, bringing her face up so she was looking at Fred "my parents, they're dead. I didn't protect them; I couldn't protect them well enough."

"Hermione I know they're gone," said Fred, hugging her close to his chest "I'm sorry, I know that doesn't make a difference to how you're feeling, but I am. Like I said, I wish I could take this pain away so you so you didn't have to feel it. You did do enough to protect your parents; it's not your fault that what happened took place. You did everything you could to protect them, I know you made them forget they had a daughter, and that is the most selfless thing you can do, you sacrificed your relationship with them for their own safety."

"But they were still killed," sobbed Hermione hysterically "it wasn't enough."

"I know," said Fred kindly "but it's not your fault they died, I promise."

"They died not knowing I existed and now I can't even say goodbye to them!" Hermione wept "I don't know how I'm ever going to get over this. I bet wherever they are they hate me now."

"Hermione they'll be proud of you wherever they are, I know they will," said Fred sincerely "you sacrificed so much during the War and you've remained strong throughout everything. Do you really think Harry could have found all those Horcruxes without you? You're the strongest person I know, and I still don't know how you got through everything you did, now I know what happened at Malfoy Manor that seems even more unbelievable, everything you've been through would have broken me. I'm so proud of you Hermione, and I know your parents would be too if they'd known what you did for them. I'm proud to have you in my life and proud to call you my friend."

Fred's heartfelt speech was followed by a comfortable silence between the two friends, as neither of them really knew what to say at that point. The silence was broken only by Hermione's heartbreaking sobs as Fred simply held her close to him, waiting for her to speak, never pressuring her once to say anything, just simple holding her to his chest and stroking her hair as she cried. Fred didn't know how long passed while he was holding Hermione, but he didn't care, he was just glad she was safe with him, glad he could comfort her. Gradually Hermione's trembling and tears subsided, it seemed to Fred that she had cried as much as she could and now she just needed reassurance and someone to be there for her.

"It's not fair Fred," whispered Hermione all of a sudden, pulling herself away from his chest and settling into a more comfortable position in his lap.

"I know it's not," said Fred, taking Hermione's hand in his own, while he one arm stayed wrapped around her.

"Why has everything happened to me?" asked Hermione tearfully, tears threatening to fall once again.

"I wish I could answer that Hermione," said Fred sadly "but I can't."

"I was so happy a few weeks ago, I really was," said Hermione in a hurt voice "the War had ended, I still hoped I would find my parents and I had Ron, but now I've lost Ron and my parents, I feel like I've lost everything Fred, I feel like I won't be happy ever again."

"I know you've had a horrible few weeks Hermione," said Fred, rubbing his hand up and down her arm "I can't even begin to imagine how you feel, but you will be all right I promise. One positive to come out of all this is that you and I have become so much closer than we were before, and I hope that is some comfort to you, I know it doesn't take away the hurt that Ron left or it doesn't bring your parents back but the closeness we have means I can be there for you whenever you need me."

"You're my rock at the moment Fred," said Hermione, snuggling into his embrace "thank you so much. I'm sorry to be so depressing all the time though; I know I can't be the easiest person to be around."

"Hermione you've been through so much in such a short space of time, it doesn't matter that you're upset," said Fred seriously "I think anyone who had been through what you had would be scared and upset and hurt so don't you worry about being upset at all. You're my best friend I'm not going to abandon you when you need me most of all."

"I just feel like my world is falling apart," said Hermione in a dejected voice "I feel like no one wants me around and like everything is just going wrong. I don't know what to do or which way to turn to make it better."

"You can come to me any time you feel like this," said Fred, giving Hermione a smile "I promise you I'll be there whenever you need someone to help you or whenever you need to cry or just need a hug or someone to talk to. Whatever you need and whenever you need it you can come to me."

"Fred please don't leave me," pleaded Hermione suddenly "I don't think I could take it if you left me as well."

"I'm not going to leave you Hermione, I swear to you," said Fred sincerely, holding Hermione close to his chest.

"I can't believe they're gone," said Hermione, looking down at hers and Fred entwined fingers "I don't know what to do."

"What do you want to do?" asked Fred gently.

"Stay with you," said Hermione "it still hurts when I'm with you but you at least stop the tears and you mean I don't cry for hours on end."

"Then you can stay with me," said Fred, smiling, secretly overjoyed at Hermione's response to his question.

"I don't want to go back to TheBurrow," said Hermione, in a suddenly fearful voice "I don't think I can face everyone's questions and sympathy, or Ron for that matter."

"No one else knows what the letter said," said Fred truthfully "I picked it up before Ron could, I read it and I came straight out to you after asking George if he was staying at Alicia's tonight, which he is. All Mum said was to look after you, no one knows anything Hermione, and they won't until you're ready to tell them, I'll make sure of that."

"Thank you for not telling them," said Hermione appreciatively "but I don't want to go back there, not yet."

"We don't have to," said Fred, reassuringly, rubbing Hermione's arm "it's completely your decision."

"Can I stay here tonight?" asked Hermione timidly.

"Of course," said Fred "I can work on making you smile then. I know it's going to be hard for you to smile again, but who better to help you than me? We'll take everything at your pace, I won't pressure you into talking or anything, we can just sit like this in silence if you want."

"Can I go and get changed?" asked Hermione, just as timidly as before "I mean I'm staying here tonight so it would make sense."

"Sure," said Fred, smiling warmly "just use George's room; I'll go and get changed too. What are you going to do about work tomorrow Hermione?"

"I don't know," said Hermione honestly, with a tearful tinge to her voice "what do you think I should do? I feel like I shouldn't take the day off but I'm not sure I could go in and be sympathetic to people when I'm so down myself."

"I think maybe you should send an owl to your boss and ask her what you should do," said Fred diplomatically "that way you're leaving the decision to her, which is better."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Hermione sadly "although I hate letting people down. Do you have some parchment and an owl?"

"Don't worry about letting people down Hermione," said Fred kindly "at times like this you need to think of yourself; I'm going to take the day off with you and treat you and try and make you smile, I've decided; and yes I do have parchment and an owl you can borrow."

"Fred you don't have to take the day off to look after me, I'll be fine," said Hermione, in an unconvincing voice.

"You need me Hermione," said Fred, stroking her tear-stained cheeks "and I'm going to be there for you, plus I'm owed a day off anyway."

"Thank you," said Hermione gratefully.

Fred smiled warmly before disengaging himself from his and Hermione's embrace and climbing off the sofa, before going into his room and retrieving a quill, a piece of parchment and his owl, which he knew would be perched outside his window.

"Here you go Hermione," said Fred handing her the quill and parchment as he walked back into the room.

"Thanks Fred," said Hermione, taking the quill and parchment from Fred's hands.

While Fred watched her, Hermione scribbled a quick note to her boss Hestia Greenfields explaining her current situation, and that she was prepared to coming into work if they needed her, but that she would appreciate a couple of days off to get her head straight any everything in order. After finishing the note, Fred helped Hermione tie it to his owl's leg, commenting quickly that the owl was called Barney, while they both was him fly out of the window, knowing that the reply would return within a couple of hours.

"The shirt you usually borrow is in my room," said Fred distractedly as he watched the owl fade into a speck on the horizon "I'll go and get it."

Fred turned around to walk away when he felt a gentle grip of his arm, and he turned back around to face Hermione, who looked genuinely terrified. Without even thinking about it Fred stepped forward and engulfed Hermione in a bone crushing hug, trying desperately to reassure and comfort the lost girl.

"Don't leave me Fred," was all Hermione could whisper.

"I won't Hermione," murmured Fred, into her hair "I'm only going to my room to get some clothes for you to change into, I'll be back in two seconds."

"Promise?" asked Hermione.

"Promise," confirmed Fred without hesitation.

With that, Fred did one of the hardest things he had ever had to do and disengaged himself from the hug with a tearful Hermione, glancing at her sympathetically as he sprinted to his room, grabbed the green Puddlemere United shirt she had claimed as her own during her time staying with him, and sprinted back to Hermione, who was still in the same place she had been when he left her, and was looking just as vulnerable, something which broke Fred's heart. Fred hugged Hermione again before handing her his old Quidditch shirt and smiling warmly.

"Why don't you go and get changed Hermione?" said Fred encouragingly "I'll be here when you get back, is there anything you want me to get for you?"

"Just a blanket?" asked Hermione timidly.

"Your wish is my command," said Fred smiling.

Fred watched Hermione walk away and enter George's room before he entered his own, changing into his nightclothes so both he and Hermione could be comfortable. Fred exited his room and was glad to see Hermione hadn't returned to the living room yet, which meant he could get a blanket ready on the sofa and perhaps make a cup of tea to try and help Hermione calm down. Deciding that a cup of tea was a good idea, Fred waved his wand and two steaming cups of tea appeared on the table next to the sofa. Fred had learned over the past few weeks all the small things that made Hermione herself, and one of those things was the fact that she had her tea with milk and exactly half a sugar, which was exactly how Fred had made the tea, and he hoped Hermione liked it.

Fred sat down and began sipping his tea, waiting for Hermione to appear. The minutes passed and soon it had been twenty minutes since Fred had made the cup of tea, and he was wondering where Hermione had got to and becoming increasingly worried about her yet again. Fred decided it was a good idea to go and check on Hermione, so he got up and walked over to the door to George's room, taking a deep breath as he listened for any sounds of movement from inside the room. After a moment of hearing nothing, Fred heard a quiet sob, an unmistakable sound of a broken heart and shattered confidence, and Fred knew he wanted to make Hermione stop crying as soon as possible.

"Hermione?" asked Fred gently, after knocking on the door "can I come in?"

"Fred?" asked Hermione, in a quivering voice.

"Yeah it's me," confirmed Fred "are you all right? Talk to me."

"Ron was right," cried Hermione, after a pause "I am fat; I'm not beautiful at all."

"He's not right Hermione," said Fred firmly "you are gorgeous, believe me and you are most certainly not fat."

"I am," said Hermione quietly "I can see it in the mirror."

"Hermione," pleaded Fred desperately "can I come in?"

"If you want to," said Hermione, in a dejected tone.

Needing no further encouragement Fred slowly opened the door to George's room and walked in, finding Hermione inspecting her reflection in George's full length mirror. Fred sighed sadly as he approached her, knowing how badly her confidence had been dented by Ron's comments, and wondering what he could possibly say to make her feel better about herself.

"Hermione?" enquired Fred gently.

"Ron was right," repeated Hermione sadly.

"No he wasn't," said Fred truthfully "he's wrong, you are beautiful, amazing and strong and you are most definitely not fat."

"I am," said Hermione tearfully.

"No you're not," said Fred firmly, taking Hermione in his arms from behind and pulling her closer to him "look, I can wrap by arms around you easily."

"So?" said Hermione in a frustrated voice.

"So, that shows you're not fat," said Fred "you're beautiful, you have a figure any girl would be jealous of. You have curves in all the right places and beautiful eyes and brilliant hair, but most of all you're beautiful on the inside too Hermione."

"Why didn't Ron love me then?" asked Hermione, tears staining her cheeks "why did he cheat on me with Lavender?"

"Because Ron is an idiot," said Fred honestly "any man would be lucky to have you; Ron just threw away the best thing that ever happened to him on a cheap fling."

"And now everything else has gone wrong for me," murmured Hermione.

"I know," said Fred unhappily "I wish I could take away your pain, I really do, but all I can do is be there for you at moments like this to give you hugs and talk to you, and that's what I'm going to do."

"You don't have to be there for me Fred," said Hermione sadly "I know you have a life and I've been kind of taking over that recently, I don't want to get in your way."

"Hermione," said Fred in a slightly shocked voice "I can't think of anyone I would rather have spent time with in these last few weeks. I've got to know you so much better than I already did and it's been great to get to know you, even if it has been in negative circumstances most of the time. I've really enjoyed spending time with you, you've become my best friend and I'm not going to leave you, I promise."

"I don't know how I'm going to get through this Fred," said Hermione miserably, turning round to face Fred, his arms still wrapped around her.

"I'll help you," said Fred sincerely, crushing Hermione to his chest in a fierce hug, before pulling back and observing her wearing his shirt, something which always made him smile "and by the way, you look fantastic in my shirt."

Hermione looked down at the floor, a small blush colouring her cheeks as she did so, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed and bashful at Fred's flattery. Fred chuckled at Hermione's reaction and gently took her hand in his before slowly leading her out of George's room and to the sofa. Fred gently sat Hermione down in his lap and wrapped the blanket around them both before casting a warming charm onto their mugs of tea and passing Hermione hers.

"Thank you Fred," said Hermione "a cup of tea is exactly what I need."

"I knew it would make you feel better," said Fred happily "it might not make you smile yet, but we can work on that tomorrow."

"Thank you for being so understanding," said Hermione gratefully as she sipped her tea "I'm exhausted."

"I bet you are," said Fred, as Hermione yawned hugely "well how about we drink this tea, wait for the reply from the Ministry and then go to sleep?"

"I'm not sure I will sleep," said Hermione sadly.

"You never know," said Fred kindly "you might have worn yourself out so much with all the emotions that you will sleep, but then you might not, I don't know and neither do you, but I think it's better to try and sleep."

"Will you stay with me until I go to sleep?" asked Hermione in a vulnerable voice, desperately seeking reassurance, as she looked up at Fred with big chocolate and tear filled eyes.

"Of course I will," said Fred, who had no intention of leaving Hermione any time soon "we could sleep in my bed if you want, it's up to you."

"I wouldn't want to be a bother," said Hermione in an unsure voice.

"It wouldn't be a bother," said Fred smiling "we've slept in the same bed before; you know we have, so we can do it again. I think it might reassure you throughout the night having someone there, but like I said, it's your decision. It would certainly reassure me knowing you were by my side and safe."

"I think that's a good idea," said Hermione, silently grateful Fred had suggested it "as long as you don't mind."

"I don't," said Fred in a definite tone "you know that."

"Thank you," said Hermione appreciatively, snuggling into Fred's embrace while they both waited for the letter from the Ministry to arrive.

Neither Hermione nor Fred knew how long the reply from the Ministry would take to come back to them, but given that Diagon Alley was in the same area as the Ministry for Magic, both of them assumed it would not take longer than a couple of hours for a reply to come, which was good as they were both becoming very tired very quickly, the day's events finally taking their toll on both of them, especially Hermione, which was of course unsurprising. Fred made sure he kept Hermione tightly held in his arms, transmitting his body heat to her and hoping to make her believe that everything truly would be all right in the end. As Fred hugged Hermione he let his mind and thoughts wander to the witch in his arms. He felt so comfortable around Hermione, more comfortable than he ever had around any other girl, including Angelina, and this was something that confused Fred quite a bit. All Fred knew was that he loved being around Hermione and the world felt empty when they weren't together, and that all he wanted to do was take away everything that was hurting her and to see her smile. Fred pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind as he was jolted out of his reverie by the fact that Hermione was fidgeting in his arms.

"What's wrong Hermione?" he asked, concerned.

"The reply from the Ministry is here," said Hermione, continuing to fidget, indicating she wanted to be released so she could retrieve her letter.

"Oh sorry," said Fred, blushing slightly "I got distracted."

Fred relinquished his hold on Hermione and she slowly got up off the sofa, opened the window, untied her letter and gave Barney, Fred's owl, a treat before he flew off to his perch just outside the flat and Fred's window. Hermione unfurled the parchment nervously, wondering what she would find. Her eyes darted across the parchment at an almost unreal speed before she looked up at Fred, who was watching her expectantly.

"What does it say?" he asked.

"They've given me the week off," said Hermione "compassionate leave; what am I going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" asked Fred, confused.

"I'll be alone with my thoughts for ages," said Hermione sadly "I'll have nothing else to focus on other than grief, I'll never survive."

"You will," said Fred, standing up and taking Hermione's hands in his "I can take the week off to help you relax if you want."

"But what about the shop?" asked Hermione instantly "I wouldn't want to be a burden and I wouldn't want to stop you working."

"Hermione slow down," said Fred, quieting Hermione's fast speaking with his words "I'm owed a week off, George took a holiday recently with Alicia, just after the War ended for a week and he said I was owed a week off for the work I did during the week he was off. I'll clear it with him but I'm going to spend this week with you."

"You should use your time off for something better," said Hermione.

"What could be better than trying to make you smile?" asked Fred, smiling himself "you need to relax, you need to be looked after, and I'm going to help you, as long as you want me to."

Hermione gave Fred a small nod, and hugged him tightly in gratitude, an embrace which Fred gladly returned, while he stroked Hermione's hair in a comforting way, plans formulating in his head about all the things he was going to do during this week to help Hermione relax.

"I'll look after you Hermione," said Fred, murmuring into her hair, and breathing in the scent of her vanilla shampoo "I'm going to treat you like you deserve to be treated; I'm going to help you smile again, as long as you trust me."

"I do trust you Fred," said Hermione quietly "I trust you with everything I have, you're all I can depend on at the moment."

"Shall we go to bed then?"asked Fred, slightly timidly, after a short and comfortable pause where the two friends stayed wrapped in each other's arms.

Hermione nodded against Fred's chest, and allowed Fred to lead her by the hand into his room. Hermione was oddly nervous, even though she had slept in bed with Fred before, and she didn't know why today she felt nervous when she hadn't before. Fred sat Hermione down on his bed, gave her a quick hug and then stood up again, much to Hermione's confusion and sadness.

"Where are you going?" asked Hermione, in a slightly panicked voice.

"Relax," said Fred kindly "I'm just going to make sure everything's locked and all the wards are up. I'll be back in two minutes; why don't you go and get ready for bed? I know you've got a toothbrush here now."

"You will come back won't you?" asked Hermione hopefully.

"I'll be back before you know it," said Fred warmly, exiting the room.

As Hermione sat alone on Fred's bed she felt grief start to overtake her again, so deciding she needed to keep busy to stop herself crying, she stood up and walked into the adjoining bathroom, quickly cleaning her teeth and making sure she was ready for bed. Hermione walked back into Fred's room to find him sitting on the bed waiting for her, something which gave her great comfort. Fred, Hermione noted, had now taken off his t-shirt and she could see his well toned chest and stomach, something which she was used to, but which made her blush today for some reason, something which Fred noticed.

"Like what you see Hermione?" he teased, grinning.

Hermione remained silent and blushed, looking down at the floor, something which worried Fred a lot. Fred covered the distance between himself and Hermione in two long strides, taking his hands in hers yet again, before bringing her face up so she was looking him in the eye.

"I'm sorry Hermione," he said worriedly "does this make you uncomfortable? I can sleep in a t-shirt if you want."

"No it's fine," said Hermione, locking her eyes with Fred's "it doesn't make me uncomfortable, we've slept in the same bed often enough to be over any emotions like that. I don't know why I had this reaction today; usually I don't bat an eyelid."

"Hey don't worry about it, I know I'm devilishly handsome," said Fred, a twinkle in his eye "but in all seriousness, it's all right, your emotions are probably all over the place; as long as it doesn't make you uncomfortable."

"It doesn't," confirmed Hermione.

"Then to bed we go!" said Fred extravagantly, as he drew the quilt back, and helped Hermione climb in before tucking the quilt around her slim form.

Once he was sure Hermione was comfortable Fred climbed into the other side of the bed next to her. Fred lay on his side facing Hermione and saw her sad expression, which immediately made him want to hug her and hold her tightly forever. Instead, knowing he had to take everything slowly so Hermione didn't get scared, Fred took her hand in his, smiling as she squeezed it and moved closer to him. Seeing the fact that Hermione had willingly moved closer to him as a good sign, Fred proceeded to gently manoeuvre her so his arms were wrapped around her and her back was against his chest, their legs entangled together. At first, Fred noted, Hermione tensed, but just as he was about to pull away, she relaxed and sighed deeply, taking his hands in hers.

"I'm here if you need me during the night Hermione," whispered Fred quietly, but he was sure Hermione had heard him "try and get some sleep now though."

The minutes passed and Fred listened to Hermione's breathing, wondering if she would be able to fall asleep with all that was going through her head. A short time after they had got into bed, Fred heard even, light breathing from Hermione, which would usually signify sleep, and sure enough, as Fred altered his position slightly to see the witch beside him; he saw that Hermione's eyes were closed and she was fast asleep, something which relieved Fred more than he would ever admit. Fred yawned tiredly, and with the knowledge Hermione was safe and asleep, Fred slowly let his eyes closed, as sleep claimed him as well, while he dreamt about the curly haired girl next to him.

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**So what did you think? Please review, like I said I really appreciate it. I'll be back soon, so I'll see you then!**


	6. Nightmares and Talking

**Hi I'm finally back! Sorry for the long delay, I can't apologise enough! I know how much you've been waiting for an update and I'm really really sorry, there have just been a few dramas and delays which stopped me working on this for a while, but I'm back! Thank you for all the lovely reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

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**~ CHAPTER SIX ~**

**NIGHTMARES AND TALKING**

It was the middle of the night in Fred and George's flat and everything was dark and silent, apart from the unseasonably cold breeze which whistled outside Fred's bedroom window with quite some ferocity. Fred Weasley awoke with a start, feeling confused and disorientated by his surroundings for a second before he realised he was still in his room at his and George's flat. Fred was confused as to why he had woken up; he usually slept through the night with no problems whatsoever, but tonight was different for some reason. Fred had had a lot of trouble settling down to sleep earlier in the night despite the fact he had been absolutely emotionally and physically shattered by the day's events. At the thought of what had happened during the previous day, Fred glanced to his side to find Hermione Granger, snuggled against his chest; something that he had become accustomed to in the last few weeks and something that he wouldn't give up for anything.

After regarding the witch beside him, Fred looked at the muggle alarm clock on his bedside table to find that it was just after two o'clock in the morning. He groaned softly, knowing it was unlikely he would be able to get back to sleep now. Fred wondered what is was that had woken him from his deep slumber; the flat was silent and Fred was sure that he and Hermione were the only people present, as George was at Alicia's, like he usually was, yet however, Fred had woken up, and now seemed to be so wide awake that he felt like he couldn't sleep again.

Fred glanced sadly at Hermione beside him; he had been unable to settle the previous evening because he was so worried about how she was feeling and whether she would sleep peacefully. Fred could not believe what Hermione had been through over the past few weeks; he felt so sorry for her; she had lost her boyfriend in the cruellest way and had now lost her parents after doing so much to protect them in the past. All Fred knew was that he wanted to make Hermione feel better; he wanted to make her smile again, the way she had done in the past, particularly like she had done on that first night they had spent together after Ron had broken up with her. Fred did not know how to cheer Hermione up, but he knew he was going to try anything he could think of, and he would not stop until the witch beside him realised just how special she was to the world, and also to him.

Fred had woken up worried, he had woken up with a bad feeling engulfing him and he didn't understand why; he knew Hermione was safe, she was with him, and she was fast asleep, but for some reason Fred was worried about her right now, and it went beyond everything that had happened to her during these past few weeks. Fred sighed to himself as he tightened his hold on Hermione, trying to protect her from everything which could possibly hurt her in the world as he tried to settle back down to sleep, loving the warm feeling he got from having Hermione lying next to him.

Fred gently ran his hand through Hermione's hair, moving it away from her closed eyes as he gazed at her, realising that she looked even more beautiful than she already was when she was in this relaxed state. Fred made a silent vow to himself that he would never let Hermione be hurt by anything again; she had already been through so much in her short life that she deserved to be treated like a princess, to be made to feel beautiful and to be happy for once, rather than ensuring everyone else was happy before herself. Fred decided that he was going to make Hermione happy and make her feel like she mattered, no matter how long it took him; he was prepared to dedicate the rest of his life to this goal and he wouldn't stop until he made Hermione Granger smile again.

Fred began to allow sleep to overtake him again, his eyes were becoming heavy as he yawned widely and tightened his grip of the sleeping Hermione next to him. Just as Fred was about to close his eyes for the final time he heard a whimper come from the witch beside him; a sound which broke his heart and brought him close to tears. Thinking it was simply one solitary noise, Fred took a deep breath and settled back down to sleep. However, when Hermione whimpered again, but louder this time Fred became more worried and turned himself so he was on his side, facing Hermione, but still holding her close. Fred saw Hermione's once peaceful face, contorted with angst and sadness as tears formed just below her eyelids and started falling down her cheeks. Hermione began to tremble in Fred's arms as she continued to whimper and cry, but Fred was perfectly aware that she was still asleep and so appeared to be having a nightmare, and Fred was sure he knew what it was about, and he knew he had to make her feel better quickly.

"Shh Hermione," he whispered, holding her close "it's all right, I'm here, I'll protect you I promise."

Fred's words seemed to do nothing to calm the hysterical Hermione down and it was quite scary for Fred to see the girl he cared so deeply for looking so vulnerable when she should be at her most peaceful. Fred knew he could do nothing to help Hermione except hold her tightly and try to help her work her way through the nightmare and wake her up as soon as possible. With that thought in mind Fred simply kept a tight hold on Hermione's trembling form and continued to talk to her in hushed tones, saying comforting things, which Fred hoped were helping Hermione find her way out of the nightmare and back to him.

"No, no, no!" said a still asleep Hermione, in a very alarmed voice "please don't, please don't take them away from me."

"Hermione," said Fred, in what he hoped was a strong voice that did not betray the worry he was feeling "come on, it's all right, it's a dream, I'm here, focus on my voice, come back to me."

"Please don't leave me!" shouted Hermione in a broken voice as she began to thrash in her sleep, making it hard for Fred to keep a hold on the stricken girl.

"Come on Hermione, come back to me," repeated Fred, who was almost in tears.

Fred kept a tight hold on the girl by his side, willing her to work her way through the nightmare as soon as possible so he could make her feel better when she was awake. Hermione's movements became more and more alarming as time went on and eventually Fred realised that he could no longer hold her in his arms, and released her, simply keeping a tight hold on her hands as Hermione worked her way through the nightmare, thrashing and crashing around in the bed. Fred was incredibly worried about Hermione, he was beginning to feel helpless, he didn't know what to do to bring her out of the nightmare she was having and he just simply wanted her to be all right. Fred could feel tears forming in the back of his eyes as he watched the girl he cared most about in such a hysterical state. Fred batted furiously at his eyes, wiping the stray tears away, knowing that he had to stay strong for Hermione when she needed him most.

"Come on Hermione, please," said Fred in a pleading voice, his voice quivering slightly with emotion.

"No, no, no," cried Hermione in her sleep "please stop, take me instead, don't take them from me!"

"Hermione, shh it's going to be all right," whispered Fred, stroking her hair gently "listen to my voice, come back to me, you can do it, I know you can."

"Mum, Dad!" cried Hermione in an anguished voice "no, no, please, don't, please don't leave me!"

All of a sudden Hermione's eyes shot open, wide with fear and anguish as she screamed a high pitched, seemingly never ending scream which ripped through Fred like a knife to his heart. Hermione sat bolt upright and was doused in a cold sweat from what Fred could see as she trembled violently, still not noticing Fred sat next to her.

"Hermione?" whispered Fred gently, hoping desperately that he didn't startle her.

As Fred had thought she would, Hermione jumped at the sound of his voice next to her and continued to tremble in a terrified way as she drew her knees up to her chest and lay back down on the bed curled into the tightest ball possible, as if trying to protect herself from the memories which had caused the nightmare and also the memories from earlier that day, which had resurfaced as a direct result of the horrifying nightmare.

"Hermione?" Fred repeated kindly "do you want a hug?"

Hermione didn't answer, but Fred watched as her head moved so her face was looking at him, and he knew that he had to cuddle her and make her feel better no matter what she said. Hermione's eyes were red rimmed and full of tears in the dim light of the lamp which Fred had just turned on, and Hermione looked so broken and scared that it physically hurt Fred to see her in this state. Slowly Fred lay down next to Hermione, trying his hardest to be gentle, to take things slow, so he didn't startle the vulnerable girl next to him. Fred gently covered Hermione's smaller hand with his larger one and when she didn't object to the contact which this action brought, he slowly began to interlock their fingers before squeezing her hand in a comforting fashion, just so she knew he was there for her.

"You don't have to talk if you don't want to Hermione," said Fred kindly "but I'm not going to leave you I promise."

Hermione looked to Fred like she went to say something at that point, however when she opened her mouth, her breath caught in her throat and instead of words exiting Hermione's mouth, a heartbreaking sob overtook her as she began to tremble. Fred immediately forgot everything he had said about making sure he took things slowly and didn't startle Hermione as he moved closer to her and enveloped her in his arms, in a tight and protective hug. At first Hermione tensed in Fred's embrace, and Fred started pulling away, thinking he had done the wrong thing, and immediately regretting his slightly rash actions. However, Fred was surprised when Hermione whimpered at the contact between them decreased so he did the only thing he could think of and simple embraced her tighter, letting her cry into his chest.

"Shh Hermione," murmured Fred, speaking into Hermione's hair "I'm here; I'm not going anywhere, just let it all out."

Fred's simple words seemed to allow Hermione to break any hold she still had over her emotions, as she began sobbing in a hysterical fashion and trembling far more violently than she had been before. Fred could do nothing else at this moment in time other than hold Hermione to him tightly, much like he had done during her nightmare, and whisper comforting words to her, while gently stroking her curly hair. Hermione wept into Fred's chest for what felt like an eternity before Fred noted that her cries seemed to have subsided slightly.

"Hermione?" asked Fred gently.

"I'm sorry Fred," said a very tearful Hermione, refusing to look Fred in the eye as shame overwhelmed her due to the state she was currently in.

"You don't need to apologise for anything Hermione," said Fred, who was just happy that Hermione was talking at the moment "it's not a problem, and I don't want you ever thinking that it is."

"I just feel so weak," said Hermione sadly, as tears fell down her cheeks again "I should be stronger."

"Hermione," said Fred reasonably, as he cradled her closer to him "you've spent years and years being strong through everything, while other people around you showed weakness in one way or another; it's all right to be upset now, let someone else be strong for you for a change, let me help you, I'm here for you Hermione."

"It's was just a nightmare though," said Hermione in a dejected voice "and look at the state I'm in."

"It's probably not just the nightmare making you cry though is it?" said Fred, choosing his words carefully "you've been through so much recently what with Ron and everything and then with your parents it's not surprising a nightmare has affected you in this way. It was probably just the catalyst your emotions needed to release themselves. I also think that this is almost a delayed reaction to what you've been through in the past year and in the Battle; it's enough to break anyone Hermione and you've stayed strong for so long."

"Do you still have nightmares?" asked Hermione, looking at Fred with her big, round brown eyes which melted his heart "or is it just me?"

"I still have nightmares," said Fred, shuddering slightly at the memories "I think everyone does."

"This one was the worst I've had in a while," said Hermione, shivering slightly, which made Fred wrap the quilt slightly tighter around them both "I thought they were going away; I haven't had one in a while, ever since I've been staying with you actually."

"Me either," said Fred "do you want to tell me about it or not? It's up to you obviously but it might help."

"It was horrible!" said Hermione, in a distressed voice, which cracked with tears.

The tone of Hermione's voice and the way her bottom lip trembled as her voice shuddered with tears made Fred cuddle her closer to him as if he was trying to protect her from the world that had broken her spirit and the sadness that was rapidly overwhelming her. Hermione let Fred hold her tightly, instantly feeling the protection that the contact between them brought to her, as she began to realise that she was safe, and that despite the fact her memories still hurt her; the future would be all right as long as Fred was in it and by her side to help her.

"Take your time Hermione," mumbled Fred into Hermione's hair "we have all night; we don't have to get up for anything in the morning."

"What about the shop?" asked Hermione in a small voice.

"Don't worry about that," said Fred, astounded that even with the state she was in, Hermione was still thinking about other people ahead of herself.

"But you can't leave George on his own," said Hermione worriedly "I don't want to be the cause of that happening."

"Hermione please don't worry," said Fred gently "like I said I'm owed some time off, I'll write him a note and leave it in the flat for him to find in the morning."

"He won't mind will he?" asked Hermione nervously.

"Of course not," said Fred "he could see how distressed you were yesterday, I think he kind of guessed I wouldn't be in the shop tomorrow anyway and I can tell him about the rest of the week as well. Honestly he won't mind Hermione; I know he'll just want you to be feeling better."

"All right then," said Hermione in an uncertain voice, as Fred waved his wand a few times, allowing a note to be written to George, which he sent to the kitchen, all without leaving his bed.

Fred embraced Hermione again, cuddling her close to his chest as he felt her sigh against him, something which really did make him smile hugely. Fred began to rub circles over Hermione's back in an effort to stop her from being so upset and worried. Fred was simply glad Hermione was awake and that she seemed to be all right in her physical state at the moment and he knew right then and there that he never wanted to let her go and that he wanted to protect her forever.

"Talk to me Hermione," said Fred gently "tell me everything."

"It was horrible Fred, my nightmare, it's the worst one I've ever had," said Hermione in a distressed voice.

"What happened?" asked Fred kindly.

"It was about my parents," said Hermione, something which did not surprise Fred given the events of the previous day "I went to our house and the Death Eaters were there; they had my parents tied up and were torturing them, I tried to help them but there was another Death Eater that held me back. I watched my parents die and I just screamed and screamed and screamed. After that you appeared, I was so glad to see you, you saw what had happened and just hugged me, and we forgot the Death Eaters were there. Then the Death Eaters grabbed you; they tortured you in front of me asking you for information about what the Order was doing in the War, you refused to give anything to them so they told you that you were going to have to die or they would kill me. I screamed and told you not to leave me, you tried to fight the Death Eaters but they were too strong for you and before I knew it there was a flash of green light and I was staring down at your body shouting at you not to leave me and to come back to me."

By the time Hermione had finished describing her dream to Fred, she was in tears; hot droplets of water making tracks down her cheeks as she began to seem more and more vulnerable to Fred. Fred was unsure what to say, he had experienced dreams about the War and its aftermath, including one where he had died and also one where he had watched George die, the memory of which haunted him to this very day. However, one of Hermione's nightmares had come true the previous day and Fred knew that the nightmare she had experienced was a manifestation of the grief she was feeling, and as he had not experienced grief on such an extreme scale, Fred was not sure what to do.

Fred followed his instincts and what they were telling him to do as he simply moved closer to Hermione, if that was even possible, and tightened his grip on her, feeling contented as she leant into him, wrapping her small arms around his waist, as if she was scared he was going to run away.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Fred, seemingly reading Hermione's mind as he talked into her hair, like he always did.

Hermione continued to sob in a heartbreaking fashion for a long time, and Fred realised that this breakdown had been building for a long time; at least since Hermione's break up with Ron, if not before then. Fred knew that Hermione had stayed strong during the War, she had kept a calm, cool head while everyone around her argued or fought or panicked, and if Fred was honest, he was sure she was the main reason Ron and Harry had been able to find most of the Horcruxes in the first place, although he was aware that neither one of the aforementioned men would admit to needing Hermione as much as they did, something which frustrated Fred more than he had ever thought it would, especially now he had gotten to know Hermione better.

"It's all right Hermione," whispered Fred "I know you're hurting, I know you've been hurting for a long time, let it all out, take all the time you need I'm not going anywhere, we have all week."

"It's just so hard," cried Hermione, her voice slightly muffled from her current position pressed against Fred's chest "I can't be strong anymore. I've lost Ron, I've lost my home, I've lost my parents. I don't think I'll ever be happy again."

"You will be," said Fred in a voice laced with certainty "I'm going to make you happy I promise."

"I've spent every day since I was eleven being strong for everyone else, everyone just presumed I was strong, presumed that I could do everything and not be affected by the emotions of the situation," said Hermione, who was currently speaking very fast and in a slightly panicky voice "I stayed calm when everyone else around me didn't, Ron and Harry wouldn't have known what Devils Snare was if I hadn't thought rationally about the situation. Even in second year when Malfoy bullied me I stayed calm and made it seem like it didn't affect me; third year I was trusted to use a Time Turner, fourth year I helped Harry with all the Triwizard Tournament tasks, fifth year we all kept Dumbledore's Army secret, sixth year I couldn't even grieve for Dumbledore because I was planning for us to go on the Horcrux hunt. When we finally went on the Horcrux hunt I was the one stopping the boys from arguing and the one staying strong even when we went to Malfoy Manor. Then I lost Ron and now I've lost my parents and I don't know how to be strong anymore Fred, I just don't, I can't physically do it anymore."

"Then let someone else be strong for you Hermione," said Fred kindly, as he squeezed her hand "let me be strong for you, let me look after you."

"I feel so weak!" exclaimed Hermione sadly "I should be so much stronger than this."

"Shh," cooed Fred, reaching up and smoothing Hermione's hair as she began to cry again "you're going to be all right Hermione, I'll make sure you're all right."

"Everyone is leaving me!" cried Hermione "Ron, my parents, what am I doing wrong?"

"You're not doing anything wrong Hermione," said Fred sadly "I'm not going to leave you, I promise, I already said I'm going to look after you, and I intend to keep that promise. Just because Ron left you does not mean I'm going to, please believe that."

"I do believe you," said Hermione honestly "I'm just terrified of what else life can throw at me."  
"Can I change one word of that sentence?" asked Fred smiling slightly in the dim light "It's what else life can throw at _us _from now on, all right?"

"Really?" questioned Hermione, in an unsure voice.

"Really," confirmed Fred strongly.

"Thank you," whispered Hermione "thank you for everything Fred; you've been my rock over these past few weeks, I don't know what I would have done without you, I really appreciate everything you've done, I know I can't have been the easiest person to be around recently."

"You're always one of the easiest people to be around Hermione," said Fred smiling "we've grown up together; I'll always be here for you. Ron was a fool to let you go."

"Thanks Fred," said Hermione, finally managing a genuine smile, something which made Fred grin happily at the same time "I'm so sorry I had a nightmare."

"Hey it's all right," said Fred, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Hermione's ear "you can't control having a nightmare, and it's not like we have to be up early in the morning or anything."

"I'm so tired," said Hermione yawning widely "I'm sorry for keeping you awake, it feels like I've barely slept so I don't know how you must feel."

"Hermione please stop apologising," said Fred calmly "it doesn't matter, we've both got tomorrow off work, we can sleep in all day if we want, I'd rather stay awake with you all night and know you're all right than let you suffer on your own from these horrible nightmares."

"Ron hated when I had nightmares," said Hermione sadly, the hurt from her break-up with Fred's younger brother still evident in her eyes and voice "he used to go and sleep in the same room as Ginny and Harry at The Burrow just to avoid having to deal with me."

"Ron is a horrible person Hermione," said Fred matter-of-factly "I know you were happy with him when you were with him but that doesn't change the fact everything he's done to you since you broke up with him has been horrible."

"I know," said Hermione "and really now I think about it there were a lot of times in our relationship when I wasn't happy, I just thought I was."

"I'm sorry none of us noticed what was going on with Lavender," said Fred looking down at his hands "if I'd have known I would have told you, you didn't deserve to find out the way you did, I hated seeing you in pain."

"Thank you for coming after me Fred," whispered Hermione "I thought I wanted to be alone, but when I saw you coming after me I felt like everything would be all right."

Hermione's simple comment caused a reaction from Fred that neither he nor Hermione were expecting. Fred beamed a smile that lit up the whole of his face and the room simultaneously while also being infectious enough to make Hermione smile once again. Fred engulfed Hermione in a huge hug which almost knocked the breath from her lungs and for the first time in a good few weeks, Hermione could safely say, this was exactly where she wanted to be right now and she finally felt safe.

"I'll always be around to make sure everything is all right Hermione," said Fred, honestly meaning all the words he said.

"That means the world," whispered Hermione, a slight tone of bashfulness to her words "thank you."

Fred smiled yet again, it seemed that he was always smiling when he was around Hermione and only now was he beginning to notice this. Fred didn't understand why Hermione made him smile so much without even trying, but he loved being around her and he intended to keep the promise he had made to her and himself to always look after her and be there when she needed him.

"I'm so tired," whispered Hermione, rubbing her eyes and pulling the duvet tighter around her.

"Maybe we should try and get some sleep then," said Fred, tucking the quilt tighter around Hermione's tiny form.

"You will stay won't you?" asked Hermione, in a tone which showed Fred that she desperately needed reassurance.

"Of course I will," murmured Fred, gathering Hermione in his arms and pulling her closer to him so they lay together, seemingly like two pieces of the same puzzle.

"Thank you," said Hermione, her voice growing more and more faint as sleep began to overtake her.

Fred remained silent as he felt Hermione slowly relax in his arms as she surrendered to sleep. Only once he was sure Hermione was asleep did Fred begin to relax, but as soon as he did, Fred realised something which he would hold onto forever; the way he and Hermione were lying felt like nothing he'd ever experienced before; it felt right; it felt like this was exactly where he was supposed to be and where he always wanted to be. With that thought Fred allowed himself to accept he was in love with the girl next to him, at perhaps the most difficult time in her life and only a few weeks after she had broken up with his brother. Fred smiled to himself at the realisation that had filled his mind, but he knew he couldn't act on these feelings yet, he had to give Hermione time to heal before he told her of his new found feelings. With that thought in his mind, Fred allowed sleep to overtake him, knowing he would be dreaming of the beautiful witch beside him.

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**So what did you think? Let me know, I love reading the reviews. I promise the gap between this chapter being updated and the next one won't be as long. See you soon!**


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